Legend of Zelda: Smiling Assassins
by Killer7Queen
Summary: Action/Adventure/Horror After Kun Lan obtains the Triforce of Power, the Killer7 is transported to Hyrule where Ganondorf rules once again. It is up to Link and the Smiths to stop the evil or risk losing Hyrule to dimensional chaos.
1. SA Disclaimer

**Author's Notes and Disclaimer:**

Killer7 and all its respective characters belong to Goichi Suda, Shinji Mikami, Grasshopper Manufacture and Capcom respectively.

Legend of Zelda and all its respective characters belong to Shigeru Miyamoto and Nintendo respectively.

To say Legend of Zelda is one of my favorite game franchises of all time would be an understatement. Ocarina of Time is my favorite game of all time and I can say that happily after beating it a good thirteen times in my life.

The second favorite gaming franchise of all time to me is Resident Evil. Why? It had zombies, violence, and conspiracy. And Nemesis. Enough said.

I first saw Killer 7 in the form of a trailer on Cinematech one night. (Note: Cinematech belongs to G4 and Comcast network. No suing me.) And I thought that game was the shit. I got more excited about it when I heard the creator of Resident Evil teamed up with some crazy dude named Goichi Suda to make the game. I bought it when I found it and have been in love eversince. The colors. The story. The stylized violence. I mean come on, people. Who doesn't love a game where you can play a fuckin masked wrestler wielding grenade launchers? To not love that would be un-American!!!

For the longest time I have been plotting fanfic outlines in my head. I especially got to brewing when I found out a year ago that there barely ten fics about Killer7 on . There are more now of course but most of them are one-shots or never finished. And I got tired of it. I had been thinking up three fics at the time. One to be a prequel to Killer7 to explain the assassins' past but in a less complex way than in the game. The second would be a sequel to Killer7 about the revival of the Smiths. And the last one would be a crossover of the _In the Forests of the Night_ books.

The mix of Legend of Zelda came when I decided to play the old 64 Zelda games again. I thought it would be awesome if you could play the sages. Then scenes in my head formed of Link changes into the sages like Garcian would change into the assassins or assassins fighting alongside sages. Heaven smile monsters consuming Hyrule and and a red gimp as a sidekick. It all just came together so easily.

If you're a Killer7 fan who does not understand Legend of Zelda or Zelda fan who does not know Killer7 look it up on wikipedia. That's all I can say. I also advise buying both games. OR at least Killer 7 if you don't already own it. Because we all have the Zelda cartridges. You're a terrorist if you don't!

So for you're reading pleasure. Here is Legend of Zelda: Smiling Assassins. Enjoy! ^_^


	2. An Act of Desperation

**Prologue:**

**An Act of Desperation**

A flash. Sigils and light flew around everywhere. Symbols synchronized and caught onto each other. Force and pressure became dynamic. It felt like walls were being built. Everything was going well so far. They just had to link together. A sphere of darkness accumulated among all the esoteric energy. It grew bigger and started to flatten. Then collapse.

"DAMN!"

Nothing.

A man fell to his knees in the dark confine of his ritual chamber. His head throbbed from the constant strain of concentration. The room blurred and breathed as he did. The few torches of light present traced around as the walls swayed. His arms fell to the ground. His thoughts fought to maintain a constant flow.

_I lost track of time a long time ago. But it has felt like millenia since that fateful day..._

The man rolled his head around and took a bunch of deep breaths. He tried to calm and center himself once again.

_That day when I fell from power. When I became a fallen king. I remembered every moment of my reign up to that one day. I have played through the flashbacks until the memories of that day were the only ways I could feel again. The strength, the power, the glory…_

The man got back on his feet when he was ready to try again. He repeated the process, started from basic incantations up to the more complex practices. The walls of power came back with the pressure. He focused harder and harder. The sigils linked; the sphere of darkness and chaos returned. He forced the energy to flatten and bind into the magic.

…_and I want it all back!!_

Flash! The sphere and magic turned into a portal of maddening power. The man laughed maniacally as thousands of hours of trial and error finally culminated into one successful moment.

_I will not be denied! I will come back! I will rise back to power! But first, I will get my revenge!_

The man forced a huge bolt of energy from his hand into the portal. The hole sucked the energy in and swirled it around. He kept feeding it until a huge streak of light shot into the rift and shut it. The man fell to the ground once again in fatigue.

_There are others. There are always others like me. There always have been. There always will be. And they will seek the power. They will find it. And they will free me from this ethereal gilded cage! I will come back. I will have my vengeance! I will take back my world! _

"So will it be done!"


	3. Assignment 72

**Chapter: 1**

**Assignment #72**

United States.....Washington.....Seattle.....Martha's Diner

Garcian sat in a diner at six in the morning. He drank a simple cup of coffee and tried to read the newspaper within the drab dive. He was still trying to wake up after receiving an urgent message from Willis an hour before. It had to be big. No matter what the job, Willis always gave Garcian the common courtesy of waking up precisely at seven o clock, getting ready for work, and eating a peaceful breakfast with no interruption.

The humble killer-for-hire tried to work a sudoku puzzle. He had already read through the main articles already. Most of the current events acted as a horoscope for his career. Who was king of the hill for the day? Who was gonna be assignment number forty-one? What kind of economic weather forecast should he watch out for next? None of it stuck with him for too long. Only the numbers entertained him now.

Charles Willis entered the restaurant. Garcian already sensed it. The informant's entrance was a tense disturbance in the low-activity environment. He tried to act calm but his movements broke his cool bravado. He slipped into the booth in one fluid motion.

Garcian started the conversation.

"What's up?"

"A lot's up. And a lot's about to go down, too."

"The question is who."

"The answer is him."

Willis slid a picture across the table. Garcian instantly recognized it to be Kun Lan. He looked the same except for wearing a dark, olive green suit. But he still had the slick, pointed hair and alien smile. Memories hit him with a mental sack of bricks. It had been a while since he thought about the humanoid creature. It had been a while since he thought about Harman and the others. The killer had drowned out the past between his work and actually living a life. The re-introduction of Kun already opened a couple of old wounds. There was no need to look back on the many flickers and throbs of suppressed trauma until now

Willis spoke up "I know you two have a bit of a past."

Garcian shared a past with the terrorist but only through Harman. He really cared less about going back down the road. Again with the suppressed pain. However, he was an assassin with an obligation to complete a job. Aside all else, Kun did secure the assassin's position with the government by mass-producing the Heaven Smile. If it weren't for that fact alone, Garcian could have been some bottom-of-the-food-chain politician or already dead from someone else picking him off. He dared not ponder about what would happen if he continued to be a pawn for the Liberal Party. Some roads were never meant to be traveled. Even in the mind.

"What's his story now?"

"Our resources suddenly spotted him back in the picture months ago. They discovered him roaming around Egypt first, then he vacationed in Europe briefly before settling down in Tokyo and establishing a following with the local yakuza in Shinjuku. A lot of rumors have been going around. But the main buzz is that he found some sort of ancient artifact of mysterious origin. More hearsay is that it has special powers. I wouldn't think too much about it, though. The fact is, eversince he showed back up, there have been numerous deaths and possible sightings of Heaven Smile within the city. And that means Kun Lan has to be stopped before he really starts posing a threat."

"I'm already there."

Garcian paid for the coffee then put gas in the rocket car. The case and anything else he needed he packed in advance. The trip would take an average of about five to six hours, depending on the traffic. It would take two to cut all the way through Oregon to reach California and the rest to cross the international highway to reach Japan. He went through all the motions to reach his destination and made only two stops to re-fuel. By lunch time -or technically morning, due to the time shift- he reached the land of the rising sun and was making his way into Shinjuku. Willis called in when Garcian was within the target's vicinity and told him where to go from there.

Garcian found himself in front of the Uematsu Incorporated Headquarters, a fifty floor building that housed a phantom company no one truly knew. The only cover-up more obvious than this was Andrei Ulmeyda's First Life Corporation.

The killer first surveyed the front of the building and spotted the first little cluster of yakuza hired-hands. They wore black suits and carried your average pistols for the sake of discretion. Garcian easily took them out with a few well-aimed shots to the heads. Upon entering the headquarters, the glass doors locked behind him immediately.

Twenty men greeted the assassin in the lobby with the same guns the first few had. Garcian hid behind his bullet proof case and moved behind a large column. He reloaded his gun and carefully took two out. He reloaded and killed one more while wounding two others. He repeated the process until he knew he could reach the stairs without getting hit.

Garcian made his way up ten flights while twenty more men chased him from behind and ten more shot at him from above. He barely avoided the gunshots by holding his case over his back. He entered the hall of floor twelve and tossed two grenades behind him. He killed a few more stray cronies that came his way and then took a few moment to plan his next move. Then it hit him.

Garcian realized something was off. Kun had a bunch of yakuza men guarding the place like Fort Knox but where were the smiles? He just reached a fifth of the building and he heard not one evil laugh. What was this a trick? Did Willis find the wrong guy?

"He-he-he-ha-ha-ha!"

Garcian automatically did a three-sixty surveying of the hall. He moved back to view the staircase door.

**BAM! BAM!**

Someone was laughing and shooting at him. Garcian eyed a metal trashcan nearby and saw a wounded man waiting for him around the corner. Three others like him followed behind. He laughed as he pulled the trigger some more. But it ran out of bullets. He just threw away the weapon. The four of them mysteriously vanished. Garcian knew better. Those men were still there. But he was ill-prepared. He forgot that without the vision ring, he could not make the smiles manifest.

The smile crept closer. Garcian backed away. He scrambled for a way to stop it. The only chance he would have is to strike the second the bomber materializes to detonate. Garcian bit his lip and rammed it using his case as a shield. The force kicked him back a few feet and made his ears ring for a few minutes. But he survived.

Garcian instantly checked the stairs for any more of the phantom suicide bombers. He opened his case and placed a block of C4 next to the door. He activated the laser across from it to prevent anyone from crossing through. The killer followed the trap with a power drill, a strip of steel and some screws to jam the door. He deduced that a building this big would have at least two emergency staircases and backtracked to the other set. He simply strung up a couple lines of piano wire. It was not much of a defense but he still needed access to the upper floors.

The next step was the elevator. There was no way he could ride it. Not in this situation. But he could still use it. He pushed the down button and waited behind a wall with his silencer ready. The lift opened up to distribute five more men. Garcian disposed of them in two clips.

There was a boom at staircase-A and sounds of reinforcements at B. He took position at the sound of blood pouring from a string-cut throat. The victim fell on top of a few more of them and shuffled their formation, not to mention scared a few people. Garcian took advantage of it by shooting down five of what looked like eleven. He readied his black shield at the sight of shotguns on three of them and gradually charged towards them. Like clockwork, they all fell down. Only three came back as substantiated smiles. But they had solidified so they were easy pickings.

Garcian returned to the elevator where a body held the door for him. He shot out the camera in the top of it. He opened his weapons case and produced another block of C4, a controller detonator, and a wireless camera. In the left corner above the door, the killer installed the camera above the explosive. He pressed all the even buttons after twelve and stepped out. He retreated into a nearby restroom and activated the camera. It was time to fish.

Garcian predicted that most-likely Kun had tainted all of the yakuza members with the God Hand. However, they will only turn into heaven smiles when near death. If the human dies instantly, then he cannot turn into a smile. But if the human is critically wounded, the God Hand will automatically activate his transformation as a last resort in hopes of taking out the enemy.

The killer predicted there would be no more than six guards per floor, not counting ten stories below and the dead lobby party. And if Kun alerted them all to go after him, at least ten of them could fit in an elevator. If he took out one of the elevators, he would take out another twenty automatically while confining their movements. The C4 could take out more if the men stopped on a floor with more guards. The camera would help him keep track of how many would be coming his way.

The assassin sat and waited as his plan felt into place. He counted at least thirty more soldiers scrambling down the steps. Garcian let them go by and waited for the elevator to fill. It stopped at forty six. The men poured in but it went down. Garcian triggered the C4 and the screen went to black. He could hear the sounds of screeching machinery and the screams of men echoing down the shafts.

The rumblings of footsteps and guns could be heard from outside the restroom. Garcian opened the case again and produced a gas mask along with a can of tear gas and flash grenades. In one fell swoop, the whole floor was in panic. People scattered and aimlessly shot the air. Garcian seized the chance to escape and darted up another twenty flights while avoiding gunfire.

Garcian entered the halls of floor thirty-nine. They were empty. He took a few minutes check his supplies and take a break. He saw a lounge nearby with a vending machine and slipped some Yen to buy a soda. He killed the can off in two series of chugs. As he threw the can away, he discovered a large, wrapped present on a table with his name on it. Near it was a white pigeon with a message.

THESE SHOULD HELP YOU.

Garcian set the bird free at a nearby broken window. He unwrapped the gift and opened the box. In it were a grappling gun and seven smaller, white boxes. In each of the boxes were the seven power rings. Vision for seeing the smiles. Fire, Water, Wind, Power for strength, Stamina, and Time.

There was a name on the back of the message.

KUROSAWA 42-B

Garcian recognized the number to be an office number most-likely located within the compound. He put the rings back on his fingers and held the grappling gun over his shoulder. A sense of nostalgia overwhelmed him as memories of Dan and his itchy trigger flickered in the back of his head. But the laughs now sounded real.

Garcian hurried to the closest staircase before the smiles caught up with him. He ran up three more floors to forty-two. More cackling smiles marched from the floors above to trap the assassin. He blocked the door behind him with a few filling drawers. He ran the edge of a labyrinth of desks and cubicles until the signs lead him to the office of Eikichi Kurosawa.

The room itself was a normal office of some high-status secondary-boss. Big desk. Latest model of computer. Luxury chair with back massager. Etc. But the key feature was the conveniently-placed scaffold for the window-washers that happened to be absent at the moment. He shoved his case into the glass window and carefully stepped outside.

Garcian put on some sunglasses to keep the after-noon sun out of his eyes. He eyed the top edge of the building that actually looked like a balcony. He carefully aimed the gun up to the top and launched the hook. Then he let it retract. The line jerked him up in one fluid motion. He grabbed the ledge and pulled himself up.

The balcony lead to a whole wall of glass with a pair of doors in the center. Floor fifty. Garcian leaned the grappling hook of the ledge and pulled out his gun. He took a deep breath and opened the double-doors.


	4. Floor Fifty

**Chapter 2:**

**Floor Fifty**

Garcian opened the doors and let light into the room. It was the usual office of some CEO, an economic throne room of sorts. Black carpet. Beige walls. Modern paintings of artists Garcian cared less about at the moment.

"I knew you'd make it up here eventually."

A man sat in a chair nearby a liquor cabinet. But the man was no man at all, but a demon in a human shell. He was tall with long arms and a long head topped with black, slicked-back hair. He had a pale complexion and demon-red eyes. Despite the weather, he wore a poisonous-teal overcoat and a grey business suit. He held up a glass of scotch with a long, snakey smile.

**-Demon Wielder of the God Hand: Kun Lan-**

"I must commend you on your efforts...However, you could've just used the elevator."

The assassin finally spoke up.

"Why have you come back, Kun?"

"Why so cross? Are you not happy to see an old friend?"

"I thought I was done with you a long time ago."

"Some things are meant to end, others, not so soon."

"Where do you stand in that? When do you end?"

"The same questions can be asked about you, Emir."

Kun shoved the executive desk towards Garcian. He jumped out of the way. The desk rammed into the doors.

**CRASSSSSSSSSSH!**

"That's not my name."

"Of course not, the reign of Emir ended a long time ago... You saw to that...But the rules don't apply so easily to people like us. They only work when you conform to them. By the way... how is dear Harman?"

Kun threw a chair. Garcian knocked it aside with his case.

"I don't know. I cut ties from the both of you a long time ago."

"Oh, Garcie, washing away the blood does not make the wounds go away. Our bonds are just too deep. All the more reason why I'm going to share with you my new little gift."

Kun formed a sphere of energy with his hands. Garcian shot at him but the terrorist formed a forcefield around himself. He shot the sphere towards Garcian. The assassin jumped out of the way again. The energy blew out the entire window, pouring sunlight everywhere.

Garcian drop-kicked a grenade and followed the explosion with a shower of bullets from an assault rifle. The two of them waged hell on each other. Garcian took burn damage from Kun's newfound powers. But he managed to catch the demon off guard a few times to sneak in some heavy damage. the key trick was to keep moving. There were no places to hide, and not much space. But Garcian worked in smaller conditions before.

Kun kept throwing new attacks and spells. Garcian fired back with some of his own, courtesy of the power rings. However, he still wondered where Kun gained such power. Never in all their times of battle has the killer seen the terrorist cause such chaos with just the God Hand and without the smiles to back him up. Why did he have such strength all of the sudden? Then he remembered Willis talking about the rumors about some artifact Kun attained. He refused at first to think it was possible, but not even government testing could have given him such ability.

The devil man decided to kick things up a notch by trying to fight Garcian hand-to-hand. He threw charged punches and insane kicks. Garcian tried to deflect the attacks with his case, but some he just could no avoid. He took two charged fireballs to the chest so far. Kun survived two grenades, an assault rifle, a shotgun, and a whole bunch of silenced shots. All he had left was C4 and one RPG-7 for emergencies.

Garcian decided to enact his last resort and strategize where to put the explosives. He decided to just go in and try to stick it on the madman. If that did not work then the killer would fire the RPG right in his face. He waited for Kun to charge after him to fight melee style again. After getting a few good hits to the head and smacking a chair against him, Garcian snuck the C4 on his back. He lept back and activated it. The explosion destroyed more stuff but stunned Kun. Garcian finished the plan and shot the rocket right into Kun Lan. The blast blew him back to the front door.

Garcian approached the badly injured Kun Lan. If that attack did not kill him, then Garcian showed him who's boss enough to hope Kun would back away. This hope was just a pipedream, though. Kun laughed his signature maniacal laugh. Garcian backed away. The demon vanished and grabbed Garcian from behind. The assassin struggled but Kun's grip was beyond human.

"Time to play my game now."

Kun's hand glowed white. The floor followed his hand and became a pool of white, chaotic light. Garcian dropped his case in the pool and it sank like ethereal quicksand. He struggled to get free but Kun restrained him until they both were sinking in the power. Then all went to white.


	5. The Simple Life

**Chapter 3:**

**The Simple Life**

The sun shined peacefully down on the busy markets of Hyrule Castle. Link walked among the crowded booths and people. Children played around in the streets as their parents bargained for goods.

A large blue ball bounced at Link's feet. Link looked up to frind three girls in front of him. The left one had blue hair in pig-tales. The middle had red hair and a bow. The last one had short, bright-green hair. They wore white identical dresses. They smiled at him.

Link bounced the ball back to them and they all played together. They kicked the ball to each other. Suddenly the red-haired girl dropped to her knees and held her head in agony. She screamed a high-pitch shriek as her face started to crack white light. Her two companions ran to her side. The blue-haired girl pointed towards the Temple of Time. The green-haired girl held her hand out and called to Link. But her voice was distant farcry.

Link tried to move but it felt like the distance between them grew larger and larger. Then he saw the people around him turn to black, smiling creatures. He looked back at the girls. A huge creature loomed behind them with glowing eyes. The skies turned red and polluted with storm clouds. In the middle of the sky was a huge moon with three eyes. Link froze in fear. Then he woke up.

Link found himself back in his house in the Kokiri Forest. It was daytime. He heard the Kokiri children working outside now. He wondered what the dream meant. He worried that it may be some kind of omen. But he shook off his train of thought after reading the note about seeing the bottle shop owner over delivering some ingredients to the Potion Shop in Kakariko Village.

Link got himself ready with his sword and shield. The sword he carried was not the guilded Kokiri sword he had for so long. He returned that back to the Kokiri so that they could better protect the forest from stray deku baba, mad scrubs, or wolfos. The weapon Link carried now was a customized razor sword he had the Biggoron brothers of Death Mountain collaborate on to achieve the same precision and weight of its predecessor. It cost a lot of rupees. But it came especially in handy when fighting off peahats or stray undead.

Link still had almost everything else he nornally carried. Deku sticks and nuts. He stopped using the slingshot after obtaining the fairy bow. Along with the bow, he carried fire, ice, and light arrows. He still had bombs and bombchu. His bottles were still around and full of various items. He even still carried the Mirror Shield from the Ikana Ruins as well as the lens of truth. The Skull Kid returned some things he stole from Link, such as the magic crystals and the boomerang. So it was just like fighting in Hyrule again.

The masks from Termina were gone, though. The spirits of the Deku, Goron, and Zora masks could not part from Termina because their respective needed to rest in peace. Link gave the Fierce Deity Mask along with Majora's Mask back to the mask dealer for safe keeping. The dealer promised to take good care of it. The Skull Kid and the fairies, Tatl and Tael, joined up with the peddler to help him protect his goods. They all planned to visit Hyrule as soon as Termina fully recovered from Majora's wrath.

It had been nearly a year since Link returned to Hyrule. He stopped searching for Navi after the events of Termina. He did not plan to give up. He just thought she would come back on her own someday. Until then, he would help out his other friends. He picked up a job as a delivery man to make money, which helped boost Hyrule's economy through trade. He worked with Lenny, the marathon runner and boss of the service; Bura, a Goron who handled daily postage for Death Mountain and its surrounding areas; and Koi, a local Zora who used the water channels for express mail. Link and Lenny handled priority goods that needed special attention or anything sent into Gerudo territory (dealing with thieves was always risky business).

Link exited his house and made his way towards the house of the Know-It-All Brothers. When he first returned to the Kokiri Forest, he brought his horse, Epona, with him. The Kokiri had never seen a horse before, though. Mido was immediately against letting Epona stay. But everyone else wanted to play with her. Mido finally agreed to let Epona live in the camp but only if they could use her in plowing their soil. The Know-It-All Brothers immediately took a fascination with Epona and volunteered to help take care of her. They built a stable next to their house and tended to her when she was not helping out with deliveries. Link taught them Epona's Song so they could tame her or summon Link when an emergency came up.

The triplets brought Epona out saddled up and ready. They brushed her hair out and made her look perfect, which Link thought was silly because she got dirty real quick once they set off.

Renji walked her out. "Mido caught her eating off of some dekuberry patches during the night. So you might want to hurry out before he catches you."

Manji added "She only did that because we're running low on oats and feeding her hay. She hates it!"

Sanji concurred. "The girls are also feeding her fruit. She'll start getting picky if we don't keep her diet steady."

Link nodded and noted to pick up some food over at Lon Lon Ranch after work. At the sound of Mido calling out to him, he mounted Epona and rode out before the boss could catch him. Mido always disliked Link. It was a fact of life.

The hero rode out through the open Hyrule field towards the castle. He reached the gate near noon and rode on in. The people parted a path for him to get through.

The market was its normal busy self. The bazaar, bottle shop, bombchu alley, target range, and treasure chest place were still around. The Happy Mask Shop managed to survive by undergoing new management. All was routine. Merchants sell. People buy or haggle. Children play.

The image of the three girls flickered briefly in his head. Everything around him flashed into the scene of ruin and darkness for an instant.

"Ah, Link! You're right on time."

Link shifted back into reality. Louis, the Bottle Shop owner, came out with a medium-sized package in hand.

"I need these ingredients delivered to my grandmother at the Potion Shop ASAP."

Link strapped the package to the saddle. He made Louis sign some quick paperwork and set off to Kakariko Village.

Link contemplated his dream as he swiftly crossed the field on his way to Death Mountain. He wondered if it may have been some vision or not. He doubted it at first because Ganondorf was sealed away in the Sacred Realm. However, Link had been gone from Hyrule for nearly a month after that, meaning that the Triforce of Courage as well as the Ocarina of Time had been gone for that long.

Could there have been any chance of Ganondorf escaping from his prison? Could he be out and plotting something right now? What if it wasn't him? There could be others. All the Skull Kid had to do to become pure evil was make the mistake of putting on Majora's Mask. Who else in this world would be foolish or evil enough to cause some similar cataclysmic event?

Link then remembered Zelda and the Sages. He heard nothing of them for the longest time. He visited Zelda once after shutting the Door of Time. But when politics and economics got tense, security tightened up. He could barely sneak in just to see the Great Fairy of Power, much less the Princess. And the sages had become scarce to guard over the temples.

The dream then swung into doubt and logic. If there were any problems, Zelda would have made an effort to contact him about it. Link remembered he was part of the postal service. He would have seen a letter by now if anything. Not counting an increase in demonic activities.

Epona had a little trouble climbing up stairs to reach the village, but it was nothing she had not done before. They entered the simple cluster of homes and small businesses with the usual greetings from the humble people. A nod here. A wave there. The carpenter family was busy making more houses. The cucco lady tried to watch over her flock. But Link had to see the old lady.

Link parked Epona up near the gate to Death Mountain and entered a local food store. He requested to go behind the shop to drop a package off with the old lady. The grocer allowed it. He exited through the back of the store and dropped down a ladder. The hole in the ground had been blocked off with a door of some sort. Someone harnessed it for storage apparently. He dropped down next to the hole and and walked up a set of stairs to a rusty, red shack.

The inside of the shack was its normal self. Pots full of strange concoctions boiled and emitted strong scents, some good, some bad. There was little light in the place aside from some select torches. The lady said it was to prevent the sunlight from destroying certain compounds. Everyone else thought she was just a shut-in. The old lady sat behind the counter and stirred something in a bowl. Her cat watched Link from a corner.

"Have you brought the goods?"

Link set the box down in front of her.

"I pray nothing was damaged."

She opened the package and examined the contents.

"Wait here."

The lady disappeared into the back. Link stood and waited as the cat crawled around him. He heard hissing and bubbling noises. And then he smelled a combination of cinnamon and thorns. The lady came back out. She scribbled a note out on some paper, folded it into an envelope, and stamped it with wax. She stuck a Hylian stamp at the top and handed it to Link.

"This goes back to Louis. His package won't be ready for two days. Until then, he can gather components for the next potion. But chances are, he'll have you do that so he can keep the shop running. But I do believe that's what you people call 'job security'."

Link took the letter and put it away. It would be tough to help Louis out again. Lenny would have to cover his routes while he scattered around the map. Lenny was fast, but he was not as fast as Link. However, Link knew the backways and was guilty of occasionally using the sage songs to warp to locations.

The delivery boy exited the way he came and he walked out of the grocery store. He mounted Epona and went back down the stairs. A man waved out to Link. It was Bertrum, the foreman of the carpenters. Link approached the old man.

"You're heading back to the market, right?"

Link nodded.

"I need you to drop this note off at the Bazaar and get me a new Hylian shield. One of the workers lost my other one."

Bertrum handed Link a heavy envelope. It had rupees in it.

"I need it by tomorrow. So be quick!"

There was a crash in the distance.

"Ah damnit! What now!"

Bertrum ran off to see what happened. Link stuffed the letter in his bag. He would have Bura take care of the shield while Link helped Louis.

He looked up and saw the foreman yell at one of the carpenters for dropping a whole bunch of bricks. Then the sight warped into darkness and smiling monsters. He shook his head back into the normal scene. The two men picked up the bricks and moved them away. Then the darkness came back. A huge tower flashed in the place of the windmill. More larger buildings replaced the houses. Some of them were destroyed. He heard wicked laughter, and more smiling demons come out. He held his head and tried his best to snap back into reality. The monsters crept closer and closer. Link focused as much as he could to tell himself it wasn't real. He shut his eyes and yelled out.

All was normal again. But storm clouds flooded the sky. Rain came with them. People scrambled to retrieve their goods and retreat into their homes. Then the ground shook. Everyone panicked. Link calmed Epona down and mounted her.

Epona sprinted out of the village and went for the castle. Link needed to see Zelda immediately for counsel. He needed to know what she felt. She had to have felt something from all of this.

The visions hit him again. All he saw was more towers and and more dark, smiling creatures. Then a great pain knocked him off of his horse. Gravity followed and pressed heavily onto him. Darkness and chaos, everywhere. The laughter. Madness.

Link saw a sliver of a sight once again. Hyrule market was in panic. People ran around, children screamed. They tried to run to the bridge. But it rose up. Trapped. And in the center of all the discord stood two men. Ganondorf. The other was a man Link did not know.

Gannondorf laughed as he held the Master Sword in his hand. He tainted it with his dark power. It warped and wilted into a large malignant thorn.

"Vengeance will be mine at last! Fate has spoken! This world shall return to darkness!"

The man next to him was a pale foreigner of some kind. His hand glowed with light.

"I think it's time play a game. But first, let me introduce you all to my power!"

The man pounded his fist into the ground. The light stretched out in all directions. It reached out to the people and warped them into smiling monsters. The monsters blew up when they hit bystanders. In one hour, the whole market became nothing but a massacre.

"Let's see your gods defeat me now!"

All Link saw was light. But he heard the voice of another man.

"This is not the end for you. The game has only begun."


	6. Tainted Realm

**Chapter 4:**

**Tainted Realm**

Link woke up in front of a stronghold of ruin. At the site of the desecrated Hyrule Castle, he realized he was back in the Sacred Realm and in his adult form. The shock finally hit him. The foreigner managed to release Ganondorf. Ganondorf was free to rule over the land again. Everything Link worked so hard on had just gone to hell.

Link automatically wanted to re-enter Ganon's Castle and just defeat the Gerudo again to restore power. However, he knew it was not going to be that easy. For one thing, the castle was designed different from last time. There were walls everywhere but no entrances. No windows. Nothing.

Link tried to call out to the sages, but there was no reply. He pulled out the Ocarina of Time, which relieved him a little bit. He played all the sage songs, but they brought nothing. That alarmed him as well because it meant he could not warp. He remembered the Great Fairy's Fountain nearby. He searched for the rock blocking it. He found it with blood covering the moon symbol carved onto it. He tried to pick it up but did not budge it. He looked at his arms and noticed he was missing the golden gauntlets.

Link took a moment to check his inventory. All he had were his stuff as a kid. The Hylian Shield, deku nuts, and bombs. The sticks were only good for one hit. The Fairy Bow still had plenty of arrows. But the sword was only good for close combat. None would help him move the rock.

The hero sat down for a moment and tried to think what to do next. It was just like when he first entered the Sacred Realm. He had no clue where to start. But Navi and the sages helped guide him to his destinations. And neither were present. Who knows where Zelda was if she was even alive. Insult to injury, Ganondorf had the Master Sword, the key weapon to fix everything. For once in a very long time, Link was feeling vulnerable.

Then something else hit Link. How did he get here? He managed to go seven years into the future without the Temple of Time. How does that happen? Apparently some unseen force brought him here. And they did it with reason.

The young man picked himself up. He would figure out what was going on. He would find Ganondorf and return everything to normal somehow. He just had to try.

Link walked around to find the path to get to the market. It was hard because of the ruin and debris everywhere. Link noticed the rubble came from the foreign broken towers he had visions about. The whole place felt unstable, like there was something wrong but it wasn't Ganondorf's usual trickery. He remembered Ganondorf wasn't alone. He had a friend now. The friend probably did most of the damage then. Then Link saw something out of the gray.

He ran to a pile of rubble where he discovered the body of a man. He was a true foreigner. His had dark skin but wore a white suit Link had never seen before covered in dirt, singes, and blood. His ears were curved like Ganon's friend. He held a short foreign weapon in his right hand and a large, long, black shield in his left. His dark eyes rolled to see Link. He tried to say something but only blood came from his mouth.

Link scrambled in his inventory bag for his bottles. He remembered he kept a fairy with him at all times in case of emergency. He pulled the bottle out and let the fairy loose around the dying man. He coughed up more blood and sat up.

"Thanks." He spoke in a deep voice. "I thought I was a goner."

At that moment, the laughter echoed. The man shifted into a battle stance.

"You're kind to help me, but a fool to fall into their trap."

A bunch of transparent figures advanced toward them from the market. Link whipped out his shield but felt foolish for readying the kid sword. He put it back and readied his bow. The monsters solidified into the smiling demons Link envisioned. He froze in terror for a moment.

"Look for the glowing spots for an instant kill. And whatever you do, don't let them get close."

Link waited until he saw the glowing pustules in their mouths. He let loose the arrows. They disintegrated into dust. More of them appeared. Link and the foreigner fought together to get through the crowd of demons. Link tossed some bombs to cause a chain reaction within the cluster of them. They ran for the market before any more of the demons could appear. But they were approaching fast.

The two fighters battled against the hordes. They gradually tried to reach the bridge. The monsters came at all angles. Link distracted them with bombchu when he ran out of bombs. the foreigner used a bunch of unknown explosives to clear them out. A whole lot more came from near the bridge. Link and his ally took down as many as they could. But more came from behind.

Link motioned the man back.

"What are you doing?"

Link whipped out Din's Fire and summoned a blazing sphere. The man ran behind a building as the fire triggered another massive chain reaction. He followed Link as they ran for the gate. The foreigner looked up to the chains.

"Use those blow-up mice of yours to take them out. I'll hold the smiles back."

Link spent a couple of bomchus to break the chains. But the bridge did not fall. The man ran out of power. Link remembered the side room with the poe dealer. He pulled the foreigner in with him.

Link started putting boxes against the door. The smiles outside blew themselves up to try and get through. Neither one noticed the poe dealer getting angry in the background. The foreigner opened his shield up and saw that he exhausted just about everything he had. Link had a few arrows left and enough magic to preform Din's Fire.

"With what he have, we could perhaps make a stand here, but we won't survive for long with the way they keep respawning. There must be a mother or a replicator somehwere nearby."

Link nodded and checked through his bag. He saw he still had Nayru's Love. He pulled the boxes away from the door.

"Are you crazy? They'll kill you if they get in!"

Link halted the foreigner and summoned Nayru's Love. The crystal formed a protective forcefield around him. Link quickly swung the door open and shot down six smiles. The door shut behind him. Link took out his little sword and started hacking away at the monsters. One bye one, they turned into dust. Link kept on for as long as the spell worked. He tried to find where the mother creature the foreigner talked about hid. But only more underlings came from the nooks and crannies. Their masses gradually pushed him back. And the spell was wearing off. Link retreated back to the door and beat on it. The foreigner open it and pulled him in. They re-barricaded the entrance.

"Did you find anything?"

Link shook his head as he tried to catch his breath.

"Then we're screwed."

"You two are dead in here as well if you break any of my stuff!"

The two men turned to the corner. A man sat on a bed with cages of glowing spirits all around him. Link remembered him to be the poe dealer. The hooded creep shook a stick at them.

"People like you shouldn't be here! This place was barred off from the rest of the world a long time ago because of those monsters!"

"What are you talking about?"

The old man eyed the foreigner.

"You're not from around here, are you, Mister? You were a fool to come this place! Eversince the invasion seven years ago, the surrounding cities had the Hyrule Castle magically sealed away to trap the evil within. No one has ever dared to re-enter the dead kingdom out of fear of spreading the madness any more than it already has."

"If that's the case, then why are you here?"

"I chose to stay here in order to care for the dead. But why are you here?"

"A psychopath brought me here from my home world and left me to die. "

"It seems like we were destined to meet then. I'll be tending to your graves soon!"

Link heard something in the distance. Galloping. Link looked out a window. He saw people running in the distance. They were heading for the castle. He caught a glimpse of a few of the strangers. Two of them wore Hylian armor. Another wore garments he recognized to be Sheikah attire. His heart jumped as they ran. Hope.

More armored soldiers came from over the hill. They glowed a blue light Link recognized instantly as Nayru's Love. He saw what looked like three boulders rolling down a hill but registered them as Gorons. They all stopped at the moat. There was a hissing noise coming from his side of the wall.

It took a minute, but Link knew what it was. He pulled the foreigner away from the door.

"What the hell!"

**BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**

The shock of the blast knocked splinters out of the door. The two got back up and opened the door at the sounds of swords clashing. Five Hylian soliders and six Sheikah warriors greeted them among the chaos and had them evacuate the death trap before another wave of smiling demons took back the market. They threw some bombs and re-sealed the the opening.

Link and the foreigner wondered what was going on. They looked around at their rescuers. Their leader approached them. It was a cloaked Sheikah riding on a gray horse.

And everything made sense.

"It's been a while, Link. Seven years, once again."


	7. Underground

**Chapter 5:  
**

**Underground**

Link and the foreigner followed the crew to a cave near Gerudo Valley where they left the horses. They then walked through a forest on the edge of Hyrule Field. They came across a large hole in the ground a dropped in it.

They landed in a series of dimly-lit tunnels. More men came to tend to the returning team, taking their weapons and armor. Sheik ordered Link and his friend to follow him. They walked with him through one of the large tunnels. The foreigner spoke up in hopes of getting some answers.

"Where are we?"

"You're in the Sheikan Underground. The secret domain of the Sheikah tribes for the past century."

"Oh, is that all?"

"I have some questions for the both of you as well. But hopefully we'll have our answers in a moment."

They went through clusters of rooms where people lived. Families crowded into niches. Children played in catacombs. The only light came from torches or small holes from above. And the air was musky from the earth.

The three of them when through one more hall until they entered a large chamber. There they saw a large table with many chairs. A map of Hyrule hung on the back wall. King Zora sat in a tub of water with a pair of Zora attendants.

"Ah, Zelda, you have returned."

"Zelda?"

Sheik pulled the cloak off his face. His body gave off a flicker of magic. Then the man looked more like a woman. Long, blonde hair. Pale skin. Blue eyes. Pointed ears. Link knew Sheik was Zelda the whole time. But it was strange when the foreigner did not look surprised.

"Welcome to the Headquarters."

"Headquarters of what?"

"You are in the center of the Hylian Resistance, the rebel force fighting against the tyrannical reign of Ganondorf in hopes of one day bringing peace back to Hyrule."

"Hyrule?"

"I see you are not a native here." Zelda studied the dark-skinned man.

"Then let me introduce myself. I am Zelda, former Princess of Hyrule and leader of the the Resistance."

"My name is Smith. Garcian Smith."

"And I see you've met Link."

"Link...So that's you're name."

Link nodded.

King Zora piped in. "You're not the only one here, Zelda."

"Sorry. This is his highness, King Zora, leader of the Zora. They help us with our movement."

"Link, I haven't seen you since you helped my daughter with Lord Jabu-Jabu so long ago."

Zelda went on.

"But there is no time for memories. Hyrule has fallen into darkness and we need your help once again. Ganondorf broke free from his prison. A pale, foreign man similar to Garcian is his new powerful ally. Together, they invaded our land and brought another age of darkness. The surviving Hylians fled underground with the help of the Sheikah. The Zora were soon to follow. But the Kokiri, Gorons, and Gerudos have yet to be forced out of their homes. So there is a still a chance."

Garcian added on. "Did Ganondorf's friend create the Heaven Smile we fought?"

Zelda stopped. "Heaven Smile?"

"The monsters that live in the ruins."

"Yes. Survivors of the attack on the market witnessed him do it."

"Then it makes sense."

"I beg you pardon?"

Garcian set his weapons case down on the table and pulled a picture out of his pocket to show her.

"The man you see and speak of is known as Kun Lan. He is a terrorist from my world with the dark power of the God Hand."

"God...Hand?"

"It's an ancient, dark ability harnessed by old rulers of my world to form armies. Kun Lan uses it by tainting people into the monsters you see called Heaven Smile. The Heaven Smile are suicide bombers that attack people and blow them up to achieve their master's goal."

King Zora inquired from his tub. "And how do you know all of this, Garcian-was it?"

"Because I'm an assassin hired to kill him. But before I could finish the job, he transported me here."

Zelda carried on.

"Then he must be the one who freed Ganondorf. Someone had to have entered the Chamber of Sages to open the gate. But how? To open the Door of Time, you need the Spiritual Stones plus the Ocarina of Time. You still have it, don't you Link?"

Link nodded and pulled out the instrument. Despite its travel, it still looked new.

"The only other way anyone could get in is if they had part of the Triforce."

"Kun talked about gaining a new power before I came here. He mentioned acquiring something powerful months before we fought."

Zelda paused in revelation.

"But that would mean Ganondorf- but that's impossible! You can't just _give_ people the power of the Triforce!"

"They pulled it off somehow. It's the only possible answer. But Kun did not have the power of shifting between dimensions like this before."

Zelda sighed. "We have still have to stop them. Our scouts have reported the smile monsters within all regions of Hyrule. We keep killing them but more keep coming."

"There are smiles that can reproduce. Two kinds are duplicators and mothers. Kun must have them spread throughout to keep you all at bay."

Zelda reported. "The temples have been tainted again as well. We sent scouts to try to purge them but failed miserably. We couldn't even find their remains."

"Princess! Link!"

Link and Zelda froze at the voice. Garcian paused. "What the hell?"

The room went dark and a light manifested above the table.

"Link, the Hero, and Zelda, the Princess. Please hear my call...Hyrule is dying and we are dying with it. But with the return of the hero, there is hope...We don't have much time left, but you must attain the power of the leader!...Once you do, come to us. And we shall give you the power you need to succeed!"

"Hurry, before it's too late!"

The light burned out and the room returned to normal. King Zora was in awe but his attendants panicked. Zelda and Link stood with urgency. Garcian was confused.

"Who was that?"

"Rauru and the Sages."

"Who?"

"The divine guardians of this world." King Zora explained. "And they have just given us a message of divine urgency!"

"There's no time to explain. Link, you need to get there fast."

Link nodded in agreement. But he pulled out the little sword and felt part of him die with embarassment.

"We can help with that. You're in luck. Come with me."

Link followed Zelda through a few more rooms until they reached an armory. Link stood in surprise to find his old weapons back here. The iron boots, hover boots, forest bow, megaton hammer, longshot, Hylian lens of truth, Hylian mirror shield, silver gauntlets, golden gauntlets, and a stock pile of bombs, nuts, sticks, and arrows.

Zelda explained, "Before Kun Lan could take over the temples, I had hunters go through them to to recover any items we could find. We couldn't protect the temples. But we could save what they were built to protect."

Link just smiled and started picking out items. He took the megaton hammer and the longshot, and the golden gauntlets. He left the others alone. He stocked up on the perishables and asked for one of each potion. At least one red and one green. Zelda and her men swiftly bestowed him with the requested supplied.

Zelda discreetly produced a bottled fairy for Link and whispered, "This is for emergencies. But try not get in over your head. The fairy fountains are gradually dying out, so second chances are scarce. The Great Fairy Fountains have been barred off as well. If you can, try to re-open the one near the castle. Will you need any extra protection?"

Link shook his head "no".

"Okay then."

Zelda approached a niche covered by canvas. She pushed it aside to reveal a bunch of swords stored in it. She pulled out one stuffed in a sack and uncovered it. It was a large sword with similar build to the Master Sword. The blade was slightly thinner but the grip and feel were nearly the same.

"It was the last one the Biggoron Brothers made before we all went into hiding. It's not the Master Sword, but it will suffice."

Link smiled and sheathed his new blade gratefully.

"There's just one more thing."

Zelda opened a little drawstring bag. She gave Link a shiny green jewel. The flashbacks hit Link within an instant. The Kokiri Emerald. The Spiritual Stone of the Forest. The Deku Tree first gave it to him and he left it at the altar to open the Door of Time. When they sealed away Ganondorf, Link returned the stones to their rightful owners.

"I took the stones back after surviving the attack on the castle. The Sages and I created the magic barrier on the bridge to prevent anyone else from getting in or out. The only way to gain access is by possessing the Spiritual Stones. So make sure you don't lose it to anyone."

Zelda walked Link to the entrance. They passed all the civilian people and families as they went. The guards nodded as they passed. Then they reached the entrance.

"Go back to the cave. There, you will meet some more old friends. And they will supply you with transportation."

"Wait!"

Garcian was heard running towards them. Everyone turned around. The man quickly caught his breath.

"Take this."

Garcian handed Link his weapons case.

"You'll need it. It's what they meant by 'the power of the leader.' I don't exactly know how or why. But I just know it's what they were talking about."

The weight of the case threw Link off a little bit but he dealt with it. He stepped on the exiting stone to return to the surface. The last thing he heard was Zelda saying "Good luck."

Garcian stood next to Zelda and looked up into the night canopy.

"So how do you know he'll save everyone and defeat Ganondorf?"

Zelda calmly replied, "Because he did it once already. And he can do it again."


	8. Hope

**Chapter 6:**

**Hope**

Garcian and Zelda retreated back into the briefing chamber after Link left. He studied the map on the wall of Hyrule and all of its labeled landmarks. Zelda stood next to him in thought.

"So this is Hyrule, the country we are in."

"Yes." Zelda confirmed. "Our location is around here." She pointed to a place just off the edge of the Hyrule border a few miles below Gerudo Valley. She explained to him all of the regions of Hyrule and what lived where. Garcian sat in utter amazement. It was all a lot to take in.

King Zora eyed Garcian and studied him.

"You seem so surprised at all of this. Is your world not like ours?"

"No. It's quite different."

Zelda inquired. "What is it like, if I might ask?"

Garcian paused for a moment to find all the words he could to describe everything. There were a lot of differences. A lot of things Hyrule was not. But Hyrule was a lot of things modern-day Earth was not just as much.

"It's big and small at the same time. I mean there is a lot of land. There are continents five times as big as this. But there are hundreds of countries, thousands of cities, and millions of people and animals. But we don't have races of intelligent creatures like his highness, or the Gorons. We have many different species of animals, but the only races of intelligence we have are all variations of man."

"That doesn't sound too pleasant." King Zora remarked.

"On the contrary, you would like it. All our land lies on seven gigantic continents that are surrounded by oceans, not to mention the thousands of other bodies of water that flow into them from within all the land. Water covers about seventy percent of my world."

"Now that sounds fantastic. A true kingdom for the Zora."

Link tried to run to reach the cave but the weapons case was so heavy, it threw him off balance once or twice. He wish he could have just left the mirror shield back there and strapped the large black thing to his back so he would not have to hold it. He finally saw the obscured cave nearby and just dealt with the weight until he entered it.

The cave itself was disguised as a mining job gone bad to prevent just anyone from going inside. A couple of guards watched for intruders. They remembered Link's face from earlier and let him through. A stream on the left flowed on by and lit the room by reflecting any light it could reach. Link deduced it led to the little waterfall one saw when just entering the Valley. Echoes of livestock noises bounced off the wall.

Link traveled down a mild slope in a narrow tunnel that seemed to go on forever. The noises got louder the deeper he ventured. At the end was a smaller hallway that curved to the left. Torchlight shined at the end. He passed through and stood in awe at what he saw next.

The room was a large den where horses and cows grazed on hay. Cuccos scurried around and picked seed off the ground. The room wreaked of the stuffy smell of livestock. Three small tents sat to the right of Link. A campfire burned a few feet away. A horse neighed madly in the back. Epona. Link dropped the case and ran to her. She nuzzled his and licked his face. He laughed and rubbed her mane.

"Hold it! Who's there?"

Link turned around. A red-haired woman aimed a bow and arrow for his head. Malon. She froze at seeing his face.

"Link, is that really you?"

Link smiled.

Malon dropped her weapon and ran into his arms.

"What happened to you? Nobody's seen you in so long! When you went missin' back then, everyone thought you had left the country again. But when I saw Epona come runnin' back, I thought you were dead!"

Link smiled and endured the back-popping welcome. There was no use to try and explain everything. She wouldn't understand.

"A lot has happened while you were gone."

The two sat down by the fire. Malon filled Link in on what happened to the ranch.

"After the market attack, bad things started happening. We heard news of smiling creatures attacking all the other towns. That's when Epona came back and I realized how serious things were. Father and Ingo barred off the ranch to keep them out. We only opened back up to take in survivors passing by. After a while, we nearly had enough people to start a village. But we could not support that many people so easily.

"We were running low on food eventually. The house and stables were crowded. Ingo argued we should kill the cows but my father and I were against it. They could still produce milk to sustain us. But our crops slowly died from the constant rain. It was like the evil tried to flush us out.

"Then they finally broke through.

"It just happened all of the sudden. One night something crashed into the old windmill. We looked out to see what it was. Another crashed into the house and set it on fire. No one knew, but the smiling monsters could fly as well. More of the flying ones crashed into the stables. We all scattered. Father and I released the animals in hopes they could escape. Everyone else ran for their lives. We had no choice but to abandon the ranch as well. The walking smiles had come for it.

"We hid in a hole nearby until the Sheikans found us the next day. They helped us round up the few animals we had left. What wasn't dead was taken by the thieves, we assume. But we managed to save a few. And of course, Epona came back. She had hid in the forest.

"The Resistance had us stay in this cave for safety. They give us provisions every week. We let them use the horses when they need to get somewhere fast.

"At least the horses can run free in the open. Ingo hates it here. He gets mad at the Sheikans every time they come. Father is father. He doesn't care as long as we have horses to breed, cuccos to raise, and cows to milk. I am grateful as well. But I miss the ranch. I miss being free. These walls feel like they're getting smaller everyday. I'm afraid I might wake up with a spike in my chest one day!"

Link felt bad for her. But he knew this was the lightest of all the trouble he would have to fix.

"You were taking Epona back, weren't you? That's why you're here."

Link was silent. Guilt.

"It's okay. I'm happy it's you. There are plenty of worse things that could happen to her or the others. I have a little hope now. You're back so that must mean something good's comin'."

"Malon, what are you doing out there?"

It was Ingo.

"Nothing! One of the horses saw a bat and got spooked! Just go back to sleep!"

"Damned cave..."

Malon whispered. "You need to get out of here now. Just take her and go. If you need milk then help yourself. But be quick."

Link declined the offer and quietly removed Epona. He remembered he left the weapons case near the tents. He tried to fit it on the horse but it was too big. Malon came over to help him. "We can fix that. All you need is some rope." The girl helped Link tie the weapons case around the horse. It hung on the side.

"That should do it."

Link got on his horse and waved goodbye. He rode Epona out and stopped at the entrance to nod at the guards. He discretely made his way back onto Hyrule Field without being noticed.

"Hey!"

Or so he thought.

"Over here!"

Link looked around. He saw no one. He tried the lens of truth. Still no one.

"HEY!"

"AAAAAAAAH!"

Link fell off Epona. A man crawled over him. He wore a white full-body suit with strings connected to the arms and legs. A black mask with zippers covered his whole head.

"AAAAH!" Link scurried away. He bumped into another man. This one wore a red full-body suit with black and blue bindings on him. His face was pale and little exposed. His nose stuck out of his bondage and his eyes were stitched shut. His mouth was covered and bound.

"OGETYBOGETYBOGETYBOGETY!!"

"AAAAH!"

Link drew his sword and shield. He got into battle stance. But the two men simply rolled around laughing. The red one spoke in a raspy, steely voice.

"I just had to do it! I could never pull that off with Master!"

The white one scampered around maniacally.

"Yeah, I know. We should do that next time!"

The two looked up at Link and slowly stopped laughing. Link was armed and annoyed.

"Fear us not. We're not your enemy."

Link did not move.

"You carry the power of Master."

???

"Only Master carries that case when he goes to defeat his enemies."

They apparently knew Garcian.

"You have the case now because the Master has lost most of his power. He is not fit to vanquish the evil in this strange world. But you are. You have been chosen by the forces that be.

"My name is Wenzel Diel Boris Iwazaruskoff III. But you may call me Iwazaru for short. My silent comrade is Kikazaru. We are guardians bound to serve the Master in his war against the Kun Lan and the Heaven Smile. Master has trusted you with his power. Therefore, we must serve you."

Kikazaru poked at Epona. She shook her head and bowed up at the spirit. Kikazaru ran away.

"We shall aid you defeating the smiles. But we're not turning into fairies like what you are used to. That's just gay. Instead, we shall brand you with the power of the God Killer! That way, you can see us when we have useful information. No one else will see us but you."

Epona sniffed at Iwazaru.

"Except for the occasional animal... Go away, horsee."

Iwazaru tried to shoo Epona.

"Anyway, receive the power! Killer's Eye!"

Iwazaru pointed at Link's left eye. It turned red and sprouted a glowing X on his face that faded to black.

"X marks the spot! Now you are ready! When in battle, we shall come to your aid. Until then, we shall remain in the shadows."

Iwazaru put a finger to his mouth.

"In the name of Harman."

The two spirits vanished.

Link got back on Epona and rode north. He passed the large hill the ranch once resided. The kingdom was in site. In an hour he reached the walls. He stopped at the dried-up moat and eyed the seal. It was large, circular, and complex. The only the things comprehended in it were the Triforce in the center and the three stones surrounding it. He pulled out the Kokiri Emerald and held it up. The seal glowed and whirled around. It became active and liquefied a hole into the drawn bridge. A magic bridge spanned across the gap.

Link dismounted Epona and untied the weapons case. He cast Nayru's Love as insurance. The only thing to do was cross the passage. He ran quickly across. The passage healed and closed itself behind him. He was in the demons' lair now.

The streets were clear but the laughter echoed within the vicinity. Link readied himself and steadily walked the down the road. His eye glowed red and searched around. Nothing. They planned to take him by surprise. He steadily advanced towards the Temple of Time, step by step.

"AAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The monsters jumped out from all angles. Link jumped back and threw deku nuts to stun them. He ran for the cathedral before any more could catch up. Then something else stood in his way.

A large creature with scrawny legs and a large gut sat in front of the temple entrance. On the stomach was a yellow spot. Its head puked out a large egg that rolled towards Link. He threw a few bombs at the lesser creatures and cracked the egg with an arrow. Another lesser smile popped out. Link cut at its weak leg. It died in a cloud of dust. The bigger smile grew angry and charged at Link.

Iwazaru kicked in. "It's a Mother Smile! Quick! Shoot the stomach!"

Link sent two light arrows into the monster's abdomen. It flickered with light and vanished. Link took the chance and ran into the temple.

The Temple of Time surprisingly still held up. Aside from broken windows, the structure was nearly intact. It was more amazing for the fact that Ganondorf did not demolish it when he re-entered the world. Rauru mentioned the Temple of Time was a Stronghold against evil but Link had no clue it was that strong.

The hero made his way into the chamber of time. The pedestal was cracked from what looked like immense pressure had forced down upon it. The Master Sword was obviously still gone. Then energy glowed around the platform. Blue energy. A ray of light surrounded him and beamed him up.


	9. Persona

**Chapter 7:  
**

**Persona**

Link stood in the center of the Chamber of Sages. The place was dim. The pillars of light representing the sages of Hyrule were thinner since the last time he visited the gateway realm. The Triforce symbol he stood on emitted light to acknowledge its presence within him.

"Welcome back, Link the hero."

The Sages appeared. Saria, Darunia, Ruto, Impa, Nabooru, and Rauru. All elements represented.

"It has been a long time, brother." Darunia greeted.

"I was so worried." Saria smiled.

"We all were worried." Ruto said.

"We had no idea as to what happened to you." Impa chirped in.

"We searched the far corners of the world and found nothing." Nabooru spoke.

"Indeed, we all feared the worst when you disappeared." Rauru rounded the discussion off. "We fear many things now. Ganondorf has brought the world back into chaos. But other forces beyond our knowledge are seizing control of the land as we speak, gradually tearing our realm apart. A war of another world takes place here, not just our conflict with the Gerudo King.

"Kun Lan, the wicked man who freed Ganondorf, has been fighting in a long, secret war with the forces of justice trying to put a stop to him. His enemies are a group of assassins assembled personally to carry out his demise. Your friend, Garcian, is the leader of that team.

"When Kun Lan first came here, he and Ganondorf warped the world into a barren wasteland. They touched everything with darkness. However, Kun had other plans than just corrputing this realm. He managed to trap the assassins in this world in hopes of doing away with them forever. Six of the assassins he took the time to hiding them within our temples. The leader, he left wounded to expire in despair.

"Have hope, young Link, for there is some left in this dark hour. You saved the assassin leader. If there is at least one of the assassins intact, we all stand a chance. However, the other six are in dire need of help. You must return to the sage temples and free them before it is too late. Be cautious, young one, for Kun Lan's evil has shaped the temples into grotesque labyrinths full of things not of this world. But you will be prepared."

Rauru held his arms out. "Hand me the shield of the leader."

Link lifted up the black case to the sage. His shoulders relaxed as it sat suspended in the air.

"This shield is the box that once carried the weapons of the assassins. Return their arms to this case by releasing them from Kun Lan's power. And the land shall become pure again."

Rauru held his arms up. The Mirror Shield disconnected from Link and hovered above Garcian's case. The sage medallions appeared and orbited around the two items.

"This case is a heavy burden. But you shall not bear it alone. With the Gannondorf and Kun Lan's iron grip on this world, our power dwindles away. With the last of our strength, we shall combine the essence of the sages with the divine and fierce power of the assassins! Our country is dying and we shall call to aid it!"

The six sages formed the signs of the elements and called out,

"I, Saria of the Kokiri and Sage of the Forest, will help you!"

"I, Darunia of the Gorons and Sage of the Fire, will help you!"

"I, Ruto of the Zora and Sage of the Water, will help you!"

"I, Impa of the Sheikah and Sage of the Shadow, will help you!"

"I, Nabooru of the Gerudo and Sage of the Spirit, will help you!"

"And I, Rauru of the Hylians and Sage of the Light, will help you!"

"Receive our power!"

The six guardians raised their arms up and sent their energy into the center to the center of the chamber. The medallions melded into the Mirror Shield. The Mirror Shield then warped onto the weapons case. Massive, fierce waves of energy crashed around. Link shielded his eyes. When the chaos finally dissipated, he moved his arms and stood in awe.

A long, silver shielded lowered down to Link. It had the marks of the sages imbued on its reflective surface. It weighed half as much as the weapons case did. Rauru spoke up.

"This is the Shield of the Sages. It is capable of manifesting our powers and abilities through you. This way, we shall always be around to help you. No matter what. But be warned, this is our last resort to assist you. The only influence we have is through you. Should you die, it will be the end of us as well. Be strong and careful, young hero. And good luck."

Link shifted back into the Temple of Time. Iwazaru appeared next to him.

"Hero, where the hell did we go? That was the craziest shit I have ever seen! That was some straight-up, backwoods, Jedi-voodoo-shit going on! I didn't want them to know I was there, but it took everything I had to keep me from freaking out!"

Kikazaru appeared and cocked his head to the side.

"Oh you missed everything man! It was nuts! It was tight as hell!"

Kikazaru lowered his head.

"Yeah, there was a monk guy, a rock-guy, a fish, oh and some foxy ninja bitches! Then there was a lightshow!"

Kikazaru pitched a little tantrum.

"Don't feel bad! You'll get to see them soon enough! They're traveling with us!"

The white gimp titled his head again.

"Yeah, just like old times! They're all hanging with us now!"

Maddening laughter interrupted their conversation. Kikazaru pointed at the broken down doors of the entrance. Iwazaru translated the little fits to Link.

"Kikazaru says that because the wise-ones don't watch over the world anymore, the power of the temples have given away to evil. Because of this, a bunch of smiles have broken through the gates and want your head....Is that all?"

Kikazaru nodded.

Link slid an arm into the sage shield and readied his sword. He saw at least fifteen smiles crawling around and vandalizing the grounds. He stepped out of the chamber and met them head-on. The two side-kicks followed the hero.

"Place your bets and say your prayers, kiddies! All shit's about to hit the fan in the name of Harman!"

Link charged forth. "HAAAAAAA!"


	10. Taking Back

**Chapter 8:  
**

**Taking Back**

The bridge seal lit up and unraveled. Link fought his way out as smiles poured into the field. Three of them went for him but five of them scattered for freedom. He dispatched the demons with well-timed blows. The other five were up the hill already. Link called for Epona and rode after them. With the bow, he aimed for heads and limbs until they all fell to dust. The last one died crawling towards the ranch.

Link approached the ruined gateway that once protected Lon Lon Ranch from the corrupted outside world. Now it was just massive splinters of wood and iron. A symbol of despair echoing throughout the land. But all of it would change. He had the tools to fix this.

Lon Lon Ranch was in ruins. Just like how Malon described it. The house and stable were broken walls and rubble. The coral was nothing but snapped wood and dead grass. Decaying corpses of people and livestock idly rotted away and tainted the air with the smell of death. And the sounds of laughter pierced the silence.

Link readied his bow. Iwazaru's voice echoed in his ear.

"Behind you."

Link twisted around and sent an arrow straight into the head of the smile. More could be heard shuffling in the rubbish. Link kicked Epona back into gear and tossed some bombs behind him. They ran a lap around the yard to find all of the smiles. He counted fifteen moving around. It was time to go to work.

It took only a few arrows to clear outer ring. He unleashed his sword on the inner group. He got a look at the glowing spots on their bodies and hacked at them. They disappated in one good cut. Link rejoiced and held nothing back. He even tested the long shot on one of them. It drug the beast to him and he stabbed it with satisfaction.

Another smile cackled from behind. Link turned around and saw it walk away from the tower. He sent an arrow through its head. It disappeared like all the others. Then another one came out from the tower. Link killed that one as well. The broken windmill housed something producing the little plagues.

Iwazaru appeared out of nowhere.

"Hero. We're in a tight spot. Tight as a noose! This place is a dump. What was once a happy home has now gone to hell with the Heaven Smile. Oh well. I never really cared for the country. Just a bunch of hicks and horseshit anyway....That red-haired girl was cute though. She looks like the kind of woman that would bake cookies for you.... I knew a red-haired chick once. But she was a fiery witch! A real she-devil! She was only nice when she worked. But she was no cookie-maker. Her profession was far more messy!"

Link cocked an eyebrow.

"Inside the tower a duplicator smile grows. Brutal factories of the Heaven Smile they are. They constantly make more of their own. To dispatch the mutant freak, destroy its weakspots. You'll know where they are. Dispose of it and you shall purge this place of evil. You'll need to use a weapon of great force to break its power. Make it see the light!"

The spirit put a finger over his gagged mouth.

"In the name of Harman."

Link pulled out his arrows and approached the abandoned tower.

"AHAHAHAHA!"

"AAAAAH!"

Link shot the smile. He shook the ashes away and proceeded in.

The place was dark at first but only because Link had to adjust his eyes. When he gained better vision, he saw stray beams of gray skylight shining on what looked like webbing or tentacles. He heard something wet move. Something rolled down a broken shelf. It ran through some light. An egg. It rolled down some brick until reached an edge right above Link. He broke it with an arrow but the laughter fel towards him.

**BOOOOM.**

Link moved his shield. The explosion singed his hat and boots. Another egg came rolling down. Link broke it. A smile lept down for the ledges. Link killed it instantly. He saw something large on the left side. It was a massive pustule. He shot it with an arrow. It just stuck in there. Then he remembered what Iwazaru said.

Another egg rolled out for Link. He shot it followed by the smile within. He diverted his attention back to the pustule. He charged up a light arrow and blew the thing up. Puss and ashes flew everywhere. The explosion revealed four more of the things hidden up top. Between them was the body of the large duplicator, hanging upside-down with a head holding glowing eyes and two sets of drooling teeth. Link killed another smile then sent more charged light into the weakspots. After two more smiles, he destroyed the last one. The huge mutant factory flickered with intensity. Then the room filled with light. Link covered himself again. Ashes flew out of the holes into the wind.

"HAHAHAHA"

**BOOOOOOM!**

Link gritted his teeth and stood back up after all the dust settled. The place was quiet again. He walked out to the see the dead pasture. It was desolate and silent shell of its former glory. But nothing could cause torment to the ranch now.

Epona trotted to Link. He climbed back on the horse and rode towards the entrance. There, he saw someone at the entrance. Malon. She stood in awe with tears in her eyes.

"Some of the horses got out of the cave...I tried to chase them down but I couldn't keep up....But I had to come here. I couldn't stand bein' in that cave anymore either. Then I come here and find you. The monsters are gone, aren't they? You defeated them all!"

Link nodded.

"There you go again, causing miracles. Maybe now, we can walk the surface. There's so much to do! I don't know how to thank you enough. But I've nothing to give except thanks."

Malon fell to her knees and wept tears of joy. Link smiled and trotted off. Pride warmed him. He finally gave the people something to smile about. He had hope for himself. It was time to fight back and make Ganondorf pay. He would make them all pay for ruining his land.

"Link, wait."

Link stopped Epona. Malon wiped the tears form her face and approached him. She pulled a piece of paper from her pocket. "I meant to give this to you back in the cave. But I was so overwhelmed. I found this tied to Epona when I called her back after the attack. It's from the forest."

Malon handed the paper to Link. He opened it up. Writing was scribbled on the page. There was a leaf drawn at the top right corner.

_They have infiltrated the woods and taken our village. It's only a matter of time before they come for us. The Deku Tree is our last retreat. We can't fight them off much longer! Someone please send help!_

Link recognized the handwriting to be one of the Know-It-All Brothers. It made since as to why Epona ran for the forest when the monsters took the ranch. Link taught them her song. They should have used Epona to help escape. But the Kokiri either were too afraid of leaving the forest or too worried about protecting the Great Deku Tree.

"I found that message seven years ago. Who knows what's become of them. But I know those fairy folk were your friends. If there's anyone who needs your help so badly right now, it's them. Don't worry about me. I can get to the cave from here. Them Sheikans do their watch nearby and will escort me home. But you need to go. Go save what's left of the forest!"

Link rode east for the forest. He finally had his direction and planned to take back his home. He predicted the worst like when he went there before conquering the Forest Temple the first time. Beasts littered the village and everyone had to hide within their huts. It took him defeating Phantom Ganon to make that mess go away. How bad would it be now?


	11. Movement

**Chapter 9:**

**Movement**

Zelda, Garcian, and King Zora sat in the conference chamber of the Underground and discussed issues. The main one was what do to next while Link dealt with his quest. Zelda spoke to a few generals about passages and supply shipments.

Garcian sat next to Zelda and kept to himself in order not to expose the massive wave of shock overwhelming him. He had to take in everything in baby steps. But there was a lot to process. It took every wit in him to keep himself from staring at the Goron general speaking in a deep gluttonous voice while occasionally taking a bite out of a rock, the ninja sitting next to the rock-eating creature, and the giant talking fish in a tub sitting across from them. Another general sat with them. Ando. He was a Hylian like Zelda but wore Hylian armor rather than Sheikah attire.

Garcian also had not slept in the past twenty-four hours. He was too alert to do so. He just kept his eyes on Zelda and tried to pay attention.

"Our numbers decrease every battle as well as our firepower," the Goron, Barok, stated. Naji, the Shiekah, followed, "We have sufficient weaponry for now through taking the weapons of the deceased, but quality and quantity weaken quick." King Zora added on, "The zeal of the soldiers dies everyday we do not make progress. We must do something!"

Zelda assured them, "Link will help us. Trust me. Just have faith."

"Faith is not at our disposal, Princess!" Barok interjected," Faith withers away in this giant tomb we call a home!"

Naji backed him, "I must agree with Barok. The dark ones have yet to make a move lately. But we are decaying in this place. For all we know, their strategy is to wait for us to flush ourselves out from starvation! Besides, I have to question the integrity of your friend. You are so confident in him, you have us rescue him, let him wander off with one of our keys to the market, and grant him unguarded passage throughout Hyrule. But if he is so skilled and powerful, then where was he all this time when we were first fighting this war? Where was he when we were being massacred in Kakariko or drowned in Hylia?"

"Hold your tongue, Sheikah!" Ando defended Zelda. "You overstep yourself! Our leader has fair reason and would not waste our time with this plan if she did not think progress would come from it!"

"Settle down, Ando." Zelda calmed the people. "I can understand your reservations about my actions, friends. But Ando speaks true. I would not have gone through all this if I did not think Link to be powerful enough to aid us."

King Zora stepped in, "I support Zelda in this endeavor. Link can be trusted. He has done much for his country. I'm sure he has good reason for his absence all this time. However, unknown his reasons be for his past, he is here now. And we should take advantage of it."

Zelda expressed her hesitance. "I don't want to do anything yet until I hear something about Link."

Naji retorted. "Even if your little warrior friend is all who you say he is, I am not content with letting him loose and waiting for him to come back with signs like some canary."

"I'm not liking it either." Barok harped on, "You make him sound like a god. You sound as if he is the reincarnation of Vermagnus himself! But what about us? We have our missions too! Or has this one sliver of hope blinded you from the bigger picture and our agenda?"

"I do not mean make lesser soldiers of you, my friends." Zelda spoke in a disarming way but leaked a hint of frustration, "And I have not forgotten our mission and your importance to it. Link is not a god, but he can and will do everything in his being to save Hyrule. His spirit and will outshines any man I've seen. His abilities are endless."

Naji held firm, "My first argument still stands against those words as far as that issue goes. But I'm not looking for simple comfort. I'm looking for security. We all are. And I still cannot see it in your vision. You may see it. But I refuse to just stand by and leave the fate of our cause to one man. It is simple common sense."

King Zora spoke up "I'll have to agree with that point. Link may be strong, but I don't think we should rely just on him. We need to have something to fall back on. Besides, we're acting like Link knows what he's doing. Don't get me wrong, I have complete faith in him. But what happens if he needs _our_ help? What happens is he's backed against a cliff? Where will we be?"

Zelda went on, "I know how you feel. But I still believe we should wait. I'm not asking a lot. Just a couple of days. A week at the most. If there is not progress by then, we'll try something else. Does that sound good?"

The four generals deliberated for a moment.

"We will allow it." Barok spoke for the group. "But one week."

Naji finished his words. "By that time, the moon will be gone and we take use the stealth of night once more."

"We need a plan." Ando went on, "But we've tried everything."

Barok folded his arms. "You all know my stance. I say Death Mountain is still our best bet. If we can take back the mountain top, we can save the Gorons as well as have geographical advantage over the enemy."

King Zora reminded him. "But you have to fight the demons off that vantage point while moving over a hundred people into a stone city devoid of proper sustainance for any other life but the Gorons. And that's to assume one could get beyond Kakariko. It just won't work!"

Naji contributed. "I still say the forest should be our target. We already know it has potential for colonization as we have seen through the Kokiri folk. The people will be able to survive off the land without much trouble. You also mentioned the fact that the forest has access points to both Goron City and the Zora Domain. If we take on the forest, we can move to Barok's proposal and progress to taking back Goron City without the worry over the condition of the refugees. The Lost Woods can also give us as good of an advantage over terrain as Death Mountain. It may not be a large hill to see everything, but the forest has snagged many a creature lost in its grip."

King Zora counteracted, "However, let's not forget the reports your scouts gave of the forest land literally feeding off the people, not the other way around. We cut our losses with the woods for a reason, because it was so heavily infested with creatures. It is the third most damaging battle we've fought next to Kakariko and Hylia.

"The taking back of the Zora River and Lake Hylia is a problem long overdue for a solution. Clean water is necessary for all species to survive. And the water channels have been volatile for far too long. We are living off rainwater reserves right now that we must ration to all races equally. We Zora are growing sick and dying from exhaustion and illness because we receive far less water than is essential for us to live on. The rain reserves have been haulted recently anyway due to a rumor that the rain might be tainted with the same toxins that have rendered our rivers unhabitable. And I've seen a growing pattern of sick Hylians as well as the occasional Goron falling ill that could confirm that rumor. This plague will destroy us all if we don't act soon!

"Need I also remind you, General Naji, that Lake Hylia has subsidaries that connect to Al Kami Sama, the river that supplies the majority of _your_ homeland with its water supply. I also hear that Kuninomekunai has been suffering a bit of a drought lately. The damming of Zora River and Lake Hylia does not help that matter at all."

"I am aware of what goes on in my country." Naji defended himself cooly, "And it is all the more reason why I say we should colonize the forest. If we start there, we can work our way to achieving the other goals in a stable environment."

"Wolves, scrubs, baba, and smiles don't sound to stable to me." Barok remarked.

Tension grew. Garcian couldn't help but step in.

"All of those plans are pretty big steps to take. I wouldn't advise any of them unless you already had some stable settlements invested in any of them."

"Oh really?" Barok eyed the dark-skinned man as he stood up and approached the map,"What would you do then?"

"For one thing, I wouldn't take such big leaps. If your commune and army are as weakened and exhausted and they sound to be, then moving across the land to settle in such places is far too dangerous. You need to think small in order to start big."

Garcian rubbed his chin in thought as he read the landmarks.

"You need to branch out and establish some moderately-armed bases closer to home. That way, you have a stronger foundation. You could move some people down to near Lake Hylia for support or even move them up into this region in the Gerudolands."

Barok burst out into laughter. Ando fought back some snickers. King Zora sighed and Naji silently scowled. Garcian looked sternly to the loud Goron general. Barok wiped a tear from his eyes.

"You, friend, truly are not from this world!"

"I don't understand what's so funny."

King Zora explained, "That is Gerudo Domain. The Gerudo thieves reside there. When the war began seven years ago, all the races banned together to in hopes of defending the country. All of us formed an alliance except for the Gerudo. When we tried to reach them, we found the bridge to Gerudo Valley cut and a massive wall put up in its place. Despite our many attempts to contact them for help, silence was our only reply."

Barok fervently put his hand down on the table. "And we're better off without them! We've survived without them then, we can do without their help now."

"Apparently you won't if your army is in such poor condition." Garcian stoically retorted.

Barok growled. "And who do you think you are to make such claims?"

"A pawn for hire that has started and ended plenty enough wars to know what moves to make and where to make them. And you'd be surprised at how many powerful armies I have known that were the upbringing of a few desperate countrymen. This army can be truly a force for Ganondorf and Kun Lan to reckon with if you just cast away the pride and grudges that divide you from truly coming together."

Zelda stepped back into the debate. "Garcian is right. We need to need to think through all these things and not let our personal issues get in the way of our decisions. The Gerudolands are a factor we have neglected for a while now even though it has some fair prospects. But it might be time to think about that soon. However, none of this is absolute yet. We will wait on Link first. Whatever he has to offer should be what we take. If he wants to scale Death Mountain, then we will handle Barok's idea, if he chooses the river, then his majesty will have his agenda, if he wishes to re-enter the forest, then Naji will head his project, if Link even chooses to take on the Gerudo territories, then that is where we shall go. But we will follow him because he is our best chance of taking back our homeland!"

A pair of Sheikah entered the room. They bowed and brought in Malon of the ranchers.

"Pardon us for the interuption, sirs, but we have urgent news."

Zelda's face was concern at the sight of Malon's face. She panted heavily with dried trails of tears down her cheeks.

"Upon our early morning routine surveying of the field, we found the girl at the old Lon Lon Ranch. When picking her up, she told us that the one known as Link had cleansed the whole hill top of smiling demons."

Everyone froze in awe. Malon jumped up and cried out, "It's true! It's true! Link cleaned the whole ranch out! There's none of them left there now!"

Barok and Ando's eyes widened in astonishment. King Zora nodded and quietly smiled. Naji stared at the ecstatic redhead.

Garcian watched as Zelda smiled. He knew she was quietly trying hard ot maintain her composure. She simply turned to her subordinates. "Do you see now, friends? I let Link go off on an errand. And in one day he has already freed the ranch. This is why I have faith in him! This is why I am willing to follow him! Because he can do it! He can stop the demons!"

Ando shook his head. "No way! I can't believe it!"

Barok humbly spoke, "Amazing...Truly amazing..."

King Zora, "Link is a truly strong child."

Naji remarked, "He has some skill. But that was just one spot. A small one at that. The only reason we never reclaimed that place was because the smiles kept coming back."

"We searched the area, sir. There are no demonic creatures to be found at all!"

Naji was silent. "I still refuse to believe it."

Zelda inquired on, "Where is Link now?"

Malon replied, "He went towards the forest to try and save the fairy folk."

Garcian sensed a rise of confidence in the Sheikah. Naji simply sat with his arms folded. "Shall I gather some troops to scan the area, commander?"

"Send a group of ten in case Link may need reinforcement. And send another group to watch over the ranch. This meeting is adjourned until further notice."


	12. Home

**Chapter 10:**

**Home**

Link remembered when he entered the Kokiri Forest the first time in his adult form. All kinds of monsters bred in the wood and terrorized the children. Giant deku baba. Scores of mad scrubs. Wolfos lurked around every corner.

The entrance itself was a bad omen. The bridge was down. Epona had to jump across the gap to pass through.

The forest looked twice as bad now. It was the imagined result of what happened if Link had never come at all. Baba of all shapes and sizes latched onto rock, wall, and tree, stretching out in hopes of nourishment. Mad scrubs, stalfos, and wolfos fought over the carrion of their own kind for survival. They were begging for new prey. The creek dried out from all the monster leeching it. And smiles had burned the huts down. No wonder the Kokiri took solace within the Deku Tree. It was the only force that could withstand the evil.

The monsters all turned their attention to Link, and he saw another threat within them. The mad scrubs has glowing eyes and all their foliage charred off. The wolfos had the same eyes as well as longer teeth. They had no fur. Just black, leather skin. The baba weeds had strange glowing veins. Only the satlfos looked the same, but they were menacing enough. They had been tainted.

Link ran Epona across the little village and relentlessly hacked away at the foul fauna. What the sword could not cut , he shot with arrows. What an arrows could pierce, he dispatched bombs. When all else failed, just use deku nuts to distract and kill when the weaknesses were exposed. If they surround you, use Din's Fire. It was a long process of the routine method.

The scrub-smiles shot explosive deku nuts. The wolfos moved in a group and spooked Epona. Link jumped off the horse and fought through the crowd, constantly switching from wolf, to skeleton, to scrub. The only way defeat the scrubs were to deflect the nuts back at them. They caught Link off-guard by actually running out of their flowers to tag him if he came to close. The wolfos tried to pin him down and detonate in a whole chain reaction. Link kept his distance and made the stalfos take the damage when convenient. After that, he made the scrubs hit the wolves with nut-bombs to take out the pack. He only killed a few of them himself. Then it was the scrubs' turn. Deflecting attacks and deku nuts took care of them with the least bit of pain. As long as Link kept his distance, they were no different than normal scrubs.

By the time Link was finished, all he saw left were the baba. They were naturally quick to respawn. Link solved the problem by simply starting small fires where they bred. He did not need a big burn. The smoke alone kept them from coming back.

The next thing Link did was search for any dead. Relief crept within despite his fear. He scoured every inch of the colony from his home, to Saria's house, all the way until he ended at the Know-It-All Brothers' den. He found no dead children. It meant either everyone was alive or burned alive. The only way to check was to visit the Great Deku Tree.

"He-he-he-ha-ha-ha."

Link did a swift one-eighty with sword and shield ready to go. He scanned the grounds for any movement. He saw nothing, but heard something. Then it hit him. The Hole of Z! He watched it from a careful distance. The sound grew loud enough for him to recognize it. An egg!

Link instantly knocked an arrow in his bow and counted the lulls of the eggs' movement. 1..2..3..4..5..6..7..NOW! Link hatched the egg and a smiled walked right out of it. He stunned the thing with a nut and performed the pull-and-stab maneuver with the longshot. Ashes hit his face as the mutant disintegrated.

A duplicator resided in the little passage. That was obvious. The problem now was the huge wall blocking him from reaching the other side. Iwazaru then popped up.

"Hero, we're in a tight spot! Tighter than tight! A dastardly duplicator lives and breeds in this little garden. Access is limited in anything. But you have the tools to solve this little problem. Or should I say the right person. It seems the flower maiden is the only kid around here. The rest are too afraid of the monsters. She seems friendly. This would be her kind of job... In the name of Harman."

Link killed another smile that came out. He used the gap between smiles to transform. He pulled out the Ocarina of Time and played the Minuet of Forest. Then a great force blinded him. All he sensed was a ringing noise.

The hero's body disintegrated into a thousand particles. They orbited around and put themselves back together. The new form was of a little girl with green hair and matching outfit. Saria of the Kokiri.

The Shield of Sages changed into a smaller shield with the sage markings on them. Her weapon was a small battle-axe capable of heavy damage in short range. It would become useful in a moment.

Saria killed two more smiles for the practice and timed the production pattern. Thirty-six seconds. She readied herself for the third one and dropped to the ground as soon as it turned to dust. She scooted in the ten feet of crawlspace. When she reached the end, she discovered how big the duplicator grew. There were at least four pustules on the walls she saw and an egg coming up right on her. She chose to stay in mouth of the hole and hold her stand until she needed to move in deeper.

When she finished destroying the weakspots in the location, she quickly migrated to a side niche and worked her way through the little maze. By the time she finished the beast off, she shot out twelve of the glowing boils. The flash blinded her for a moment, then disappeared forever. The fight left her magic drained though. She held her hands together and prayed for strength. The forest heard her call and rejuvenated her. She sighed in relief and crawled out of the hole.

The Deku Tree was top priority now. She ran across the forest camp to the tree's resting place. The wilted tree that was the Great Deku Tree sat peacefully and majestically. The mouth was closed to keep out intruders.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it, Link?" Saria thought out loud.

Link reacted with visions of his last memories with the tree. When the Great Deku Tree asked him for help. The slaying of Gohma. The tree giving him the Kokiri Emerald followed by his passing. And Mido blaming him for it. Saria giving him her ocarina before leaving the forest. Then adult Link speaking to the great Deku Sprout.

"Hey wait- what was that last part?"

Link remembered as much as he could about the Great Deku Sprout.

"That's right! The sprout is supposed to surface soon!"

Saria ran to the spot the sprout's spot.

"Help me..."

The sprout was shriveled and iridescent. Veins and roots of unnatural colors spread from it into the ground. It was everything Saria feared. Before the Great Deku Tree died, he planted a seed into the ground. That seed would germinate and become the Great Deku sprout in seven years. Then everything else happened. Despite the power of the Sages dying, Saria made an effort to watch over the sprout and protect it. But then the Sages left their stations to join Link, leaving everything vulnerable.

"Help me.."

"It's okay, young sprout, I'm here."

"Saria, you've come!"

"Don't strain yourself."

"I had to come out. After you left, I had to come out to keep the forest safe."

"Everything will be okay now."

"Yes, the pain has subsided a little thanks to you. But it will only be temporary if you don't hurry. The Kokiri are safe inside the tree. And you've held back the monsters' advances. But it's only a matter of time before they come back and take us as well. But clearing out the forest won't be enough. Before they seized the Forest Temple, they came from the mountains and rivers."

All of the Sages envisioned the destruction of their lands."

"I have to leave you now to go to the will be fine. Just hang on a little longer."

"Hurry!...."


	13. Plague

**Chapter 11:**

**Plague**

The Lost Woods did not look as bad as the camp off the top. However, it was always the most dangerous part of the forest because of the inhabitants. Saria expected to see a fair amount of creatures roaming around. The question was which ones.

Saria took the first left to where one of the stal-children used to play. Nothing. The stumps were intact but the child was long gone. The next left went to the place under the bridge entrance to the forest. She remembered a merchant scrub did business there. She went for it in hopes of finding him or any other survivor.

"SHRIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!"

THUD!

Three green, grasshopper-like smiles dropped down from above. They advanced towards Saria. Saria shot arrows into them. More of them shrieked and dropped down behind her. She hacked at two of them and ran for it. Straight two, then left, right, another left, straight, and two lefts. She reached the dead-end grove to try and make a stand. They came at all angles. Saria shot some down and and cut up whoever got too close. Her small height gave her some advantage. But the smiles were persistent. She managed to cut their number in half but she was losing ground. Then she literally lost ground.

"What the-"

Saria dropped through the grass and hit a mossy floor. The smiles dove in after her ready to detonate. Then one froze and turned into dust. A shower of nuts assaulted the other two. One of them fell down and the other tried to jump back up. Both disintegrated.

Saria picked herself back up. She recognized that attack immediately. It was the hole of the Deku Scrubs. Fifteen of them popped up out of their little buds. Fourteen small ones and their leader on the right. All of them danced around in victory. Then the leader, Maso, saw Saria and embraced her with his booming voice.

"Great Deku! Lady Saria! You have returned!"

The little scrubs crowded around her.

"We knew you'd be gone but we did not how long! We were scared you got taken by the monsters!"

"I'm fine. The Sages' plan was a success."

Saria knew the sages were losing power after Ganondorf came back. She herself fell into depression for the longest time because she could only fight off the forest attacks for so long before she was too weak to even guard the temple. Before the creatures could harm her friends, she warned all of the Deku and Kokiri to go into hiding. The Deku acknowledged the message and hid. But she worried the Kokiri did not hear her. She did send the message to Mido after all. She also warned the Deku about the Sages joining up with Link for the hope that they could protect themselves until she came back.

Maso reported on.

"We have managed to hold the fort so far. But we have yet to hear from our brothers hiding in the meadow. We have heard no major activity occuring lately short of your arrival and the grasshoppers that followed-"

"Actually, they're called Screamer Smiles."

Iwazaru and Kikazaru appeared.

"MONSTERS!"

The scrubs shot nuts at the red spirit. Iwazaru covered his head. Kikazaru ran around in panic. Saria called out to them.

"STOP! STOP! They're not monsters! They're with me!"

The scrubs finally ceased firing.

"Damn! They can see us, too?"

Kikazaru flailed his arms around in some form of reply.

"Lady Saria, these two creatures look not like the Sages to me."

"No, they are not Hylians. But they know how to defeat the smiling demons and volunteered to help us."

"Perhaps, but they are very...strange."

"You're by no means anything we've seen before." Iwazaru pointed out. "First, elves. Then, faeries. Now, talking tree stumps!"

"Who are you calling a stump?"

Kikazaru poked around at a scrub. It got annoyed and bumped him to go away.

"Yes, they are. But they are important. Without them, our friend could not have come to aid the Sages. We are also happy to say that we have purged Kokiri Forest of evil as well as part of Hyrule. There is a chance the Hylians can send support now."

"Hylians? Help us? Feh! I'd like to see that happen! They left us stranded!"

"That's not true!" Saria protested. "They would've helped if they could! But there's so much trouble right now. We're not the only ones suffering by far. Everyone is at loss. You just have to see it."

"It's true."

Saria stopped for a moment. The room lit up. A pair of fairies flew out of the crowd. One yellow and the other a dark color Saria had never seen before. Then a hundred memories hit her in impact. Link was reacting by telling her who they were. Tatl and Tael.

"My brother and I witnessed it with our friends! We fought for our lives just to make it here!"

"Friends?"

"Yeah!"

The scrubs parted to reveal more people in the back. The stalchildren of the Lost Woods, the Skull Kid, and the Happy Mask Dealer. Memories forced themselves into her to explain everything. Saria scowled and shook her head. It was a lot to take in.

The stalchildren wore some of the masks the Dealer carried. The Dealer was leaning up against his big back-pack. He passed around a smoke pipe among the the five misfits.

"We came here from all the way from Termina to visit. But we had no clue about the evil that befell this land. By the time we found out, it was too late. The smiles were chasing us all the way into Hyrule. The Castle had fallen. Kakariko Village was in shambles. Lake Hylia and Zora River had been barred off. Our only chances were the forest or the desert. But no matter how bad it was, we were not about to enter thief territory. It was too risky. So we hid here with the nice scrub people."

Saria inquired. "Risky? The forest is teeming with those creatures! How is it riskier to deal with the Gerudo thieves than to endure monsters?"

The Dealer and the Skull Kid wearing the Keaton Mask just looked at each other and shook their heads.

The Dealer stood up and studied the Kokiri girl.

"I must say, it's been a while since I've seen Kokiri children roaming around in these parts. And I have never seen one carry weaponry like yours before."

The Keaton kid pulled his mask up. "She reminds me of Link. He had different weapons, but the stance is nearly the same. And his hair wasn't green."

Tatl flew around her. "You must know him then! You know Link!"

Tael hovered close by. "Is he alive?"

Saria nodded. "Yes, he's the one who is helping us. He cleared Kokiri Forest."

The Skull Kid tilted his head. "Where is he now?"

"He's here... But it's complicated to explain. You will see him soon enough."

The Dealer kept his smile. "Oh well, we've waited seven years, we can wait a little longer."

Saria turned back to Maso. "We need to re-renter the Forest Temple. If we can get rid of the evil living in it, then the forest has a chance of survival."

"The Forest Temple?" Tatl sprinted towards them. "We saw some monsters kidnap a guy and take him up there a long while back."

The Skull Kid tilted his head again. "That's right! He was some loud-mouth kid with a blindfold!"

Iwazaru stepped back in. "It must be the punk!"

Saria and Maso eyed the red gimp. "Punk?"

"He's one of the assassins!"

"Oh."

"Assassins? What are you talking about?"

"That's a long story as well." Saria assured him. "But I don't have time to explain. I must reach the Forest Temple."

Maso warned them. "The Sacred Forest Meadow is covered in tainted baba and wolfos. We lost a few comrades just trying to hide there. But if you need to get across, they shall aid you. Just find somewhere safe and play that song you used to play all the time. We use it to call each other for anything. They will find you once they hear it. But be careful because the monsters will too."

"Thank you, Maso. Now I only ask that you watch over the forest a little while longer."

"We shall guard it with our lives."

Saria exited the hole and crossed straight through two areas to reach the Sacred Forest Meadow. Baba overtook the entire top of the maze. They encrusted the rock walls with roots to reach the stray pools of water. A few wolves scurried around and fought off the Baba from their carnivorous tendencies. The weeds took over the mad scrub flowers as well for sustenance. So all she had to deal with her the wolves and the plants.

Saria threw a deku nut to stun the monsters. The baba threw their heads back in shock. The distraction drew the wolves out. She took out her little axe and fought with them. She defended herself mostly. When she could not get get in a hit, the baba would do her work for her and eat the wolves.

The baba turned their attention to the Kokiri girl. Saria backed away from their range and pulled out the ocarina. She played her song while avoiding the thorn-encrusted roots. The ground parted to reveal a secret passage. Saria threw another deku nut to shock the plants and jumped down in the hole.

Fifteen more Deku Scrubs tried to survive in the dank cave. There were six vacant flowers, suggesting there were more at one time. Pocket holes of light lined the edges of with little torches under them to emit smoke. Dead roots looked like they tried to get in but could not survive. They were keeping the entrance safe from the baba.

Saria explained the situation to to the leader of the scrub patch, Fig.

"The Forest Temple? With all that's going on out there? It's suicide!"

"It's the only way." Saria told him. "If we want this to stop, then I have to get in there."

"Forgive me, Lady Saria, it's not that I don't believe you. It's that we've already tried."

"Tried?"

Twig, Fig's second-in-command chriped in. "We knew the Forest Temple is our only chance and we knew you'd want to get there so we hoped to secure the meadow for ya. But the weeds just kept comin! And if we didn't have them to deal with, the wolfos were trying to eat us!"

"The wolfos aren't a problem anymore! I dealt with them. It's just the baba now."

"Yeah but there's so many of them."

"But we can deal with them. I've killed plenty before. I just need you guys to keep them at bay."

The two leaders looked at each other.

"Okay. We'll do it. But do you remember the path?"

"Yes."

"Alright then."

Saria, Fig, Twig, and the others scrubs left the hole. A baba got a hold of one of them.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The other lesser scrubs panicked.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Twig and Fig shot nuts at the plant and Saria hacked it into a deku stick. The little scrub ran back to its group.

"This is too much! We should go back and hide!"

"No! We keep going! We're not hiding anymore!"

Fig looked to Saria. "So what do you want us to do?"

Saria surveyed patch of Deku and what they were about to travel through.

"Okay, I want seven scrubs in front of me and eight behind me. Both groups form two lines. Those in front, aim for the front. Back group aims for the back when the plants respawn. And whatever you do, don't hit me or else no one will be able to stop them. Are we clear?"

"Yes!"

"Okay then!" Saria handed Fig the stick. "Use this to fend them off if they get too close."

The scrubs followed Saria's instructions and entered the maze. They paced themselves into it and shot nuts at any baba near them. Saria hacked away at weeds when she reached them. The back group stunned them when they came back. When the group crossed a corner-pool, they just hopped over the hardened roots that sucked the water dry. They stopped for nothing. The scrubs kept shooting. Saria kept killing. They all marched on with no trouble.

They finally reached the end of the maze to find the staircase. The steps were broken and covered in vines.

"AAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

A wolfos leapt out. The scrubs scattered. The wolf attacked Twig. Saria sent her axe into the back of the beast. It howled and fell. Two more wolfos came out circled the two. Baba attacked the other scrubs. Saria fought fiercely with the creatures while Twig stunned anything behind her. She moved her attention to the baba. One by one, she shot down plant heads and freed the scrubs. Twig pulled them away to safety.

Saria remembered the ladder used to reach the top of the maze. Vines covered it as well. She killed the respawning baba and climbed up. She got a better view of everyone and shot down some more weeds.

"Everyone, get up here! Hurry!"

Twig helped everyone up to the wall tops. Saria cleared away the baba and lead the scrubs to the hole in the center of the maze. She pushed them all in. Then she noticed something. where was Fig? She then ran back down and searched for the head scrub.

"Fig! Fiiiiiiiig!"

She chopped down some more baba.

"Fiiiig!

"Over here!"

Saria found Fig all the way near a corner-pool. He was wounded and trying to fight the creatures off. Saria killed his attackers and carried him back towards the stairs. He was too heavy to carry up to the tops. Then she remembered something. The longshot!

Saria pulled out the large grappler. She aimed for the top of the vines. The hook stuck in and yanked the both of them up to the top. Saria fought off the plants and helped Fig reach the hole.

"What are you doing?"

"Don't worry about me! Just stay put!"

Saria threw Fig in the hole. She faced the massive baba population that kept respawning. She could easily run through them to reach the temple. But the scrubs would be stranded. She remembered the hole was supposed to be a fairy's fountain. They should be safe. But what happens if one of them tries to leave? Or what if the monsters could get in the hole?

It was obvious. The plants had to die. But how?

Link showed visions of flame arrows and great bursts of fire.

"But would that not destroy the forest? I can't do that! I'm a Kokiri! I could risk killing everyone including us!"

Link showed her a chain of visions. He was trying to tell her what to do.

"I understand now."

Saria pulled out Din's Fire as the baba came back. She concentrated and sent the power everywhere. Everything around her burst into flames. The fire spread towards the vine canopy and walls below. She carefully ran towards the stairs and into the hall. She set it ablaze with fire and ran towards the temple. Baba and wolfos blocked the temple entrance. She repeated the process and watched everything get cremated. The power left her drained. The feeling of the forest being burned made her head hurt. But she followed Link's directions.

The Kokiri girl watched the meadow burn to ash for a few minutes in apprehension. When there looked to be nothing left, she stood back up and produced the Ocarina. She played the Song of Storms like Link instructed. Great, dark clouds covered the sky. Rain fell and gradually put out the fires. Steam and smoke filled the area. But the plan worked. Nothing survived except her and the scrubs. And the Forest Temple was accessible now.

Saria's headache went away when sensing the life in the forest recovering and growing anew. She called out to it and it rejuvenated her once more. Only one thing to do now. She pulled out the longshot and launched it to the tree branch above the entrance.

"Here goes nothing."


	14. Forest Temple

**Chapter 12:**

**Forest Temple**

Saria stood in the beginning room of the Forest Temple. Link told her that a pair of wolfos and some skulltulas were going to attack her. And there was a key at the top of the room. Saria readied her axe and marched on.

"No. It's not going to be that easy."

The room shifted around. The walls, doors, trees, and entrance vanished. Saria now stood in the center of an endless field. She spun around in confusion.

"I don't understand. What's going on?"

Iwazaru appeared once again and reported.

"Quite a tight spot we're in, eh, flower child?"

"This isn't the Forest Temple that I remember. Where are we?"

"You're right, this is not the Forest Temple that _you_ remember. But have you forgotten already? Kun captured the assassins and trapped them in the dungeons. This is _his_ doing."

"Then where are we?"

"You're still in the Forest Temple. But the curse that binds the assassins also manipulates dimensional rifts to alter the dungeon to prevent you from proceeding on."

"So...it's some sort of an illusion?"

"Yes and no. If you mean a projection of something meant to trick you, then yes. But if you mean something that isn't real, then no. This is real. We are actually cut off from the world you know and in another realm. This realm is a bridged reality linked to Hyrule and the assassins' world."

"So...do you know where we are exactly, or are we lost?"

"I do and I don't."

Saria lowered her head in frustration. _Why must he speak in riddles?_

"The curse that binds the assassins and manipulates the temples all have one theme in particular specifically to throw you off."

"And that is?"

"The curse projects places from the assassins' memories."

"Ah, I see. So we're in their memories. Why couldn't you just say that before?"

"One: _His_ memories. There is only one assassin per temple and therefore, we only go through that one's thoughts and emotions. Two: We're not necessarily _in_ his memories. If we were exploring his actual memories, then that would assume that we were in his head. But we're not. We're in a dimension that projects past experiences meant to overwhelm you."

"That's just splitting hairs."

"No. That's a _big_ difference. Because if we were in the assassin's head, we might have known what was going on and what's about to happen to us. But we're not and we don't."

"What? You don't know where we are? I thought you were a ghost that aided the assassins in battle."

"_Noooooo._ One: I'm not a ghost, I'm a remnant psyche. Same thing with Kikzaru. We're both remnant psyches. And _yes._ There _is_ a difference between the two. Two: I don't know where exactly we are as far as memories go. Just because I'm a remnant psyche does not mean that I can read people's minds. And thank Harman for that, because I sure as hell would not want to. Bunch of animals, I swear."

Saria inquired on. "Actually, I thought you would know their memories because I assumed that you were _there_ during their battles."

"Oh, well yeah, I was there a fair amount of times and other times I wasn't. But the past of the deadly seven assassins is a long and complicated one. To even begin explaining half of it would make your ears bleed."

Saria studied the red spirit."You make them sound like they were evil."

"They weren't all pure and holy like you Sages, that's for sure."

Saria grew curious, if not suspicious, as to what was going on. She sensed the other sages brooding on about the whole situation as well. But before they could think more about it, Saria knew she would have to get through the dungeon first. She turned around and observed the field. Kikazaru scurried around in the grass.

"So, can you tell me more about the assassin we're supposed to rescue?"

Iwazaru hovered next to her. "If your little friends are right, then we are here to free the punk named Con."

"The punk named Con?"

"He's the youngest of the pack and a cocky little brat. But he was a quick little brat. He had the ability of great speed."

"Speed?"

"He could outrun anyone and anything with a pair of legs. He also had heightened senses that aided him in hunting down enemies. Both strengths which he had shown by far outweighed his one weakness and proved his worth among the assassins."

"What's his weakness?"

"He was blind. Born with no sight whatsoever."

"Wow. That's amazing."

Saria studied the field.

"So he was blind."

"Yes, but he had keen senses of hearing, smell, and touch because of it."

"And we're seeing his memories."

"That's right."

Saria watched Kikazaru's movements. He scurried around in a certain way. He then held his arms up and scurried back towards Saria and Iwazaru in his certain path. Saria heard the laughter. Then it all hit her.

"Kikazaru! How many are there?"

He held up three fingers.

"Point them out!"

The spirit tried to point them out but he kept waving his arms around.

"Tell me when they're close then!"

Saria picked up her weapons and prepared herself. She shut her eyes and listened in. The three creatures lulled in a beat with their laughter. They were rolling. But they were not eggs. These were mature smile. She kept track of the sinister metronome as the wave tumbled closer.

"WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

CHAK!

SHIK!

SHAK!

KSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

The smiles evaporated. Saria searched through her item bag. Iwazaru commended her work. "You getting pretty good at this. The question is, can you do that trick again?"

Saria pulled out the little violet Sheikah magnifying glass. Iwazaru stuck his head close to her hand to see it. "What's that strange little thing?"

"It's a Lens of Truth. It was made by the Sheikah to help see illusions, traps, ghosts, or the occasional wizard."

"Really now? So they're like X-Ray glasses?"

"X-what?"

"Nevermind. But let me guess. You're trying to look past this little world to see the real obstacles before us."

"Correct."

Saria sent a flow of energy into the frame and looked around through the glass.

"What do you see?"

"Nothing. The lens is not working."

"It's not? Must be broken."

"No, it's what they want us to see."

"Huh? What nonsense do you speak!"

Saria put the Lens of Truth away.

"Think about it, Iwazaru. Kun Lan put a spell on a blind assassin to trick us. If Con is blind, and we are seeing his memories, then we see absolutely nothing, regardless of any vision enhancement. There is no vision if there is no sight."

"Come again?"

"We see what Con sees. But if Con is blind, then so are we."

"Ah-ha! I get it now! Sweet Harman, child, you're a genius!"

"It's not science. It's pure common sense. And I'm not a kid, I'm eighteen years old."

"Ah, so you're legal then."

"What?"

"Nevermind!"

Saria shook off Iwazaru's eccentric ways and cautiously proceeded on. Iwazaru followed behind while Kikazaru frolicked around in the flowers some more. Iwazaru put his finger on his chin in thought as he hovered.

"I don't get why we see a field of grass though. But then again, I don't understand why I didn't reach your hypothesis earlier. Normally I know everything."

"You said you couldn't read their minds, though. But it makes sense."

"What makes sense?" Iwazaru scratched his head.

Saria put away her weapons and closed her eyes. She held her arms out with stretched fingers. "When you're blind, you only know what your senses pick up. The only thing you know is always there is the ground under your feet."

"Always?"

Kikazaru wailed and disappeared.

"Well...most of the time."

The air was clean but silent. The grass was fresh and strong under Saria's boots. She smelled at least five different species of plant at once. Some of them friendly, others stung with a faint sinister warning. She could almost smell Kun Lan's traps waiting for her within the halcyon atmosphere.

"This must have been one of Con's happier memories. Ganondorf has rubbed off on Kun Lan."

"Feh..I don't know. All I know is that we can't be screwing around anymore. But how we are going to get through this place is beyond me. Seriously. Kun Lan is the suck!"

Saria took a few deep breaths. She tuned out everything for a moment and focused on her sense of smell. Ten slow paces forward. Then the edgy scent of ivy and nettles grew strong like a barrier. She took a deep breath and blew into the air. Leaves and stems whistled a hiss not a few inches from her face. She took out a deku stick and moved it around. It brushed up against an invisible wall of wild growth. She walked around with the stick running up against the wall. She took out her axe and held it out like the stick. Two walls.

"I understand now!"

Iwazaru appeared next to her. "Understand what?"

Saria opened her eyes to look around. "We're in a maze. Probably a huge one."

"How do we get through it is the question."

"We might not have to."

Saria spotted Kikazaru.

This time, Iwazaru caught on.

"Hey, Kikazaru! Get back here!"

Kikazaru led the team through the phantom labyrinth with his arms dragging on the walls. Saria told him to swing into any gap he felt in the walls to go down other pathways. It led them through a bizarre journey through twists, turns, dead ends, backtracking, and more turns. On occasion, they would find more smiles to kill. On other occasions, Kikazaru fell through a trap door . But the rest of the time was nothing but trial and error.

"This is getting annoying real quick." Iwazaru spoke agitated.

"He's gotten us through this thing a lot faster than we would have on our own."

"Isn't this thing made of plants? Why don't we just set it all on fire?"

"Chances are, this place is rigged to keep us from doing that. But even if we do set the maze on fire, the smoke would probably kill us."

"Correction: _You_ would be killed. _We_ would have ran like hell."

Saria scowled at the thought. She grew a little weary of her companions. Link empathized with her. But the visions of the two fools rolling around like madmen gave her little comfort. She just wanted to hurry up and get through the temple.

Kikazaru stopped abruptly. Saria assumed at first he just hit a dead end. Then he sniffed around the wall.

"What is it?" Saria flashed into a mood of concern.

The white gimp madly scratched at the brush until the scratching was not the sound of crackling leaves but nails on metal.

"It's seems our little Kika-kun has stumbled onto something."

Saria shooed Kikazaru away and felt around the area. Automatically she smelled dust. She ran her hands down the stone until Forest Temple sigil lit up in the center of it and slid to the side. The three of them proceeded in.

The room was pitch black. Saria still felt grass under her feet. But something was strange. The gravity was awkward like it was in the center of the room. Saria kept moving to find something to show her where she was.

Saria heard laughter again. Not from a smile, but a girl. Suddenly, she could see. Saria caught a glimpse of the girl. She was tall, pale, and had dark hair. She wore strange skimpy clothes and a mask of a girl with big, bright eyes. The girl turned around and ran away.

Saria called out to her, "Hey, wait!"

Saria chased after the girl down a long, vine-encrusted hall. She saw the girl stand at the bright end of the corridor. She ran after her. Then a door came slamming down and the light disappeared. Laughter echoed again. But this time it was from the smiles. Saria readied herself in the dark. There were so many of them. She started to hear her own heart pound in her chest.

"Watch out!" Iwazaru called from the dark.

Saria swung her axe and took off what felt like an arm before sending her blade into another's side. She knocked away another on her right with the shield. She sent out three lgith arrows but only one of them hit a smile.

Link suddenly reacted in her head and project scenes from his fights. He showed her battles with the Biggoron Sword, seeing how it was more like an axe than the Master Sword. Then she showed her the key move: the spin attack.

_I didn't know you could do that!_

A scene flickered where one of the Great Fairies bestowed the power to the hero.

_Wish I knew that earlier!_

Link projected an image of him scratching the back of his head as his form of 'Sorry.'

Saria spun around with the axe a bunch of times until she sensed she had enough space and sent her energy into the axe until it glowed a tint of orange. Then she let it loose. She felt what sounded like six smiles turn to dust. She stumbled after the smiles were gone.

"That's going to take a while to get used to."

Saria regained her composure and felt around for the door. She heard scratching again and looked for Kikazaru.

"Over here, flower child."

Saria followed Iwazaru's voice. She touched a wall. The forest sigil lit up and opened the door.

Saria froze in astonishment at what she saw. She stood in the center of a gigantic room where a massive tree with hundreds of branches grew up and broke through the ceiling. Large roots spread out in all directions. The masked girl watched them at the top of a platform.

Iwazaru reappeared.

"Is that who I think it is?"

Kikazaru came through a wall and shuffled his way up towards the platform. He flailed his arms around to communicate to Iwazaru.

"No way! Seriously?"

Kikzaru nodded manically.

"Insane! How did that happen?"

Saria interrupted their rambling. "What are you talking about? Who is she?"

The girl called out, "Kenjinomori! Kuratte!"

Saria stood puzzled. "What did she say?"

Iwazaru tranlsated for her. "The girl said to approach her."

Saria cautiously proceeded. She saw a giant leaf a few feet before her and automatically deduced it was a lift of some sort. She stepped onto the leaf and it took her up a few feet to reach the platform. The two guiding spirits followed. Saria stood quietly in wonder as to whom the girl was. Obviously, if the two spirits knew her, she was probably from their world.

The masked girl spoke some more in her strange language and girlish voice. Iwazaru translated.

"I am here to guide the guardian of the forest... Kun Lan has put a terrible curse on this place... He does so by tormenting the soul of the one he trapped here..."

The girl put her hands over her eyes.

"The soul trapped here is the one who defeated me long ago...He is blind but sees all forms of pain and hatred Kun inflicts upon him...What he does not see is hope..."

The girl put her arms in the air.

"The greatest torture a blind man may know is the eternal suffering of never seeing truth... It is like a maze with no finish...Everywhere you turn is nothing but a dead end... But the God Hand's rule is not absolute in this world...The virtuous spirits that guard this temple are still present...They have evaded the sightless watch of the tortured soul to reveal how to reach him..."

The girl pointed at Saria.

"The key to escaping the labyrinth lies within the Forest Sage...Manipulate the tree to make a path from dead ends...Enter the memories of the boy and silence his nightmares...Find the boy and open his eyes...Only then will you free him and the forest of evil..."

Saria stood undaunted. "That sounds easy enough."

"Wait!" Iwazaru halted. "She says there's something else."

"There is also a way to see through the lack of sight...Music...Music distracts the blind one...It will aid you in your mission...But beware...Music also attracts the laughing men...You must be ready to fight for your vision...But if you are strong, you shall prevail..."

"Is that all?" Iwazaru checked.

The girl nodded.

"Good. Then tell us who sent you here." He commanded.

The girl rambled on a little more before projecting a name.

"Haaman-sama."

"Haaman-sama?...No way! How did he pull that off? And if that's the case, then why can't he fix this himself? Where is your master anyway? Or should I say _masters_?"

The girl spoke quickly and angrily at the red spirit. He exchanged some words as well. She paused for a moment before unleashing another line of babel, only to vanish into dust.

"Crazy bitch!" Iwazaru muttered.

Saria stood in confusion as to what had just went on. She got the message. But everything else left her in the dark.

"Who was that, Iwazaru?" Saria asked.

"_That_ was another remnant psyche. Her name is Ayane Blackburn. She was a skilled assassin who worked under the tutelage of Curtis Blackburn, one of the many cold-blooded enemies of the assassins. Why she's here is beyond me."

"She mentioned something about the one trapped her defeated her a long time ago."

"That's right! Con killed her in a battle years ago!"

"Wait, he _killed_ her?"

"Is there an echo in here? Yes, he killed her! She was working for the enemy. But what I don't understand is why her of all people?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Con has fought his fair share of battles and killed his share of people. And Ayane being, well... Ayane, she seems to be the last candidate I know that would aid us in freeing the punk."

"You think she may try to trick us?"

"Yes and no. Normally I would think that because of her disposition. But if she's right about her origin, then she's speaking the truth."

"So..."

"Follow what she says. Everything else around here leads to a trap anyway. What harm could she do?"

Saria approached the trunk of the massive tree. She already deduced that the branches probably produced the bushes comprising the invisible maze. And she knew automatically what Ayane meant about manipulating the tree. The forest temple sigil lit up. Saria shut out the room and focused carefully on summoning the energy needed to move the branches. She did not know where to make a cleared path to. She just focused on removing blocks. If she could do that, she could reach at least one or two rooms at a time. Saria opened her eyes. Some of the branches had pulled out the walls, leaving a rainfall of brush everywhere.

"That's a neat trick." Iwazaru said as he studied the fresh holes pouring light down on them.

Saria searched the area around them. "Where's Kikazaru?"

Iwazaru became transparent to avoid the rock that fell his way.

"What the hell?...HEY!"

The two looked up to see Kikazaru dancing around on a ledge high above them.

"How did you get up there?"

Kikazaru made upward clawing motions.

"You climbed up."

The white one nodded.

Saria called out to him. "How do we get up there?"

Kikazaru picked up another rock and threw it. It landed near another giant leaf pad a small distance to the right of them. Saria rode it to the top and found a door at the end. The door revealed a stair case that lead back up to the invisible maze. Another door came down behind her.

"I guess Ayane was telling the truth after all."

Laughter echoed in the vicinity. Saria readied her weapons. Then she remembered what Ayane said about music. She put down her axe in order to take out the Ocarina of Time. She held it in her mouth like a very heavy whistle and re-equipped the axe.

She played one note on it. The vibration caused a wave of visibility. The sudden streak of green plants surprised her. It faded after a few seconds. She played another note to make everything visible again.

"WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Saria put her shield up. The explosion tossed her back into a bush wall. Three more smiles jumped out. Saria threw down a deku nut followed by some light arrows. Two of them died. But the others fought her throughout the corridors. She constantly fended off the advances of the demons until finally hacking them into dust. Three smiles leapt over the walls and charged towards her. Saria clashed with them until they endured the same fate as their brothers. The last of them threw itself onto her. The power threw her back into another hedge-wall. Saria just lied there to catch her breath and play dead in hopes no other monster would pop out. She counted to sixty. Nothing. She stood back up.

BOOMP!

"AAAH!"

HSSSSSSSSSH KLAH-KLAH-KLAH!

Saria grew red in the face with fury and hacked the deku baba into bits. It was the first one she saw in the entire dungeon. Why would one appear now?

Saria marched on beyond the dead plant. Another sprouted out. Then another. They grew out of the walls in masses. Saria ran. But they grew faster. She chopped them away as she moved. Flowers grew and produced scrub-smiles. The scrub-smiles shot explosive nuts at her. It was like Sacred Meadow all over again.

Saria kept cutting away at the wild shrubbery. Then she noticed something. The maze was becoming invisible again. The wildife retreated as it all faded away. Finally, only she was visible in the field.

"Hey!"

Saria jumped. She turned around. Iwazaru hovered a few feet away.

"Kikazaru's scratching around again. Follow me."

Saria followed Iwazaru carefully through the invisible maze. In a matter of minutes, they came across the white spirit sniffing at a spot. Saria played another note on the ocarina and avoided the foilage as the baba came back. She saw the forest sigil appear and touched it to open up the door.

The next room lead down to a large, empty den. Saria played a note. Scrub-smiles automatically tried to shower her. Ten smiles charged in her direction. Saria played another note and battled the group. They all turned to ash.

Saria blew another note to view the rest to the room. A bunch of pillars and columns lead to a path where a marked door waited in the distance. _Easy enough._ She jumped onto the first huge pillar. Then more scrub-smiles appeared, followed by a pair of wolf-smiles.

Saria fought the wolves while dodging nuts. They were still relatively easy work. Dodge their swipes, hit them when their guard is down, and avoid their leap attack or else they will tackle you and detonate. It took a few minutes and few blows from the nuts. But she managed to defeat the beasts. The scrub-smiles stopped shooting. Their eyes glowed bright red and they twirled around. Saria froze in confusion as to what was going on.

"Run away! They're going to blow!" Iwazaru called out.

Saria ran and jumped out onto the next platform. The first pillar blew up behind her. Chunks of rock and debris flew everywhere. But she turned her attention to the current obstacle. It was just like the last one, but this time three stalfos appeared with sword and shield ready. Saria clashed axe to sword and shield to shield with the skeletons while the scrub-smiles tried to gun her down. The key was patience. The stalfos were not tainted into smiles like all the other beasts. They were distinguished enemies without it. But it was simply a matter of catching them off their guard.

Saria fought fiercely and killed two of the stalfos when the scrub-smiles turned red and started spinning again. Saria looked around for the next pillar and leapt for it. Rocks and bones flew in the air behind her.

Saria ran for the other side of the as quick as she could. More scrubs appeared and tried to stop her. But she just kept running and jumped for the next platform where the exit was.

Saria panted and leaned up against the invisible door. She had cuts and burns all over herself. The red potion Link saved up looked very tempting to drink. But she knew she would have to save it for something bigger.

Iwazaru reappeared. "That was pretty crazy."

Saria nodded.

"Tired all ready? Con would've breezed through those obstacles without a sweat."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"He is truly a skilled assassin."

Ayane reappeared before them. She started talking again. Iwazaru translated.

"That...was one of six chambers one needs to enter in order to reach the tormented one...Each of them houses obstacles reflecting the soul's strongest memories and desires...Conquer them all to reach the seventh chamber where the soul resides..."

Saria noticed a shadow developing above her. She rolled out of the way just in time to dodge a giant hand that swooped down. Saria shot a light arrow to kill it.

Iwazaru freaked out. "WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!"

"That was a wallmaster. They creep around on walls and try to abduct you to take you back to the entrance of a temple." Saria replied with a little bit of pride because it was a question she could actually answer.

"That's fucking insane!" Iwazaru buckled and writhed in disturbance.

"Oh, so you're not afraid of the smiling time-bombs that blow up around every corner, but when a hand randomly falls from the ceiling it scares the daylights out of you."

"Yes!"

"Baka!"

"Don't you start with me, woman! You were scared too!"

"Iie imasen!"

"Were too! You might not show it behind that stupid mask of yours but I know you had to have peed a little!"

Kikazaru tried to look up Ayane's skirt. She kicked him into the sky. He smiply reappeared next to Saria, giggling in his weird little way. Ayane vanished once again.

"Well," Saria picked herself back up, "we better get going. Sooner we get through this, the sooner we can get our of here."

The forest sage and the two guardians proceeded on to the next room. It was a dimly, torch-lit room where blades popped out of the floor and walls. Saria had to shoot switches at the top of the room to temporarily shut off a couple of them while she took on five smiles at the same time.

Saria backtracked to the tree chamber to rearrange another path for the next two rooms. The third chamber was a large room featuring decorated holes in the walls that shot out darts. Saria fought four smiles and wolf-smiles while trying to move four statues that carried a target for the darts to hit. She moved the statues last and lured the monsters into the line of fire.

The next room stuck Saria in a series of cages. The exit to the room was locked. The way to unlock was by a time-release switch and Saria had to unlock all the cages before the time was up. It was simple except that there were smiles in each cage. But even with the monsters gone, it still took a few tries to get through all the doors.

The fifth room required Saria to move a huge boulder that blocked the exit at the top of the room. Ten smiles greeted her a the bottom. Saria immediately longshot herself to where the boulder was. They started crawling up the hill. Saria eyed the longshot and readied her shield. She aimed for one and pulled it up to her. It exploded and took a chunk out of the rock. She did the same with the rest of them. The rock came tumbling down and crashed.

The sixth room consisted of massive old powder keg sitting on a platform held up by four columns. Scrub-smiles hid in flowers near the columns. Under the platform was the exit. Every other minute the scrubs would come and shoot nuts at the columns, dropping the platform a foot or two. Guarding those scrubs were twelve smiles. Saria stepped on a switch that triggered a fuse line heading for the keg. She took out the bow and arrows. The smiles went down first with some carefully aimed shots. Then the scrubs.

Saria walked towards the door.

Click.

THUD!

Bars came down on the door. Saria turned around at the sound of scattering. She played a quick note and found huge gnarled hand leaping for her. She jumped out of the way. Another one tried to land on her. They were a pair of floormasters. Saria threw down a deku nut to freeze them and played another note to keep them visible. She sent her axe into the hand closest to her. It writhed around in pain. Saria sent another blow to it that lopped off a finger. It split into three lesser hands.

The other big hand was active again. Saria shot a few arrows at it and threw down another nut to stun them all. She took the time and stomped on all the lesser hands. The other hand flew at her again. She sent her axe into the palm of it and it split into three. She threw another nut down and shot them all to dust.

Saria still had the problem of the door. The bars did not raise. She scrambled to find an exit. The other door was barred as well. Her heart raced in desperation. Her eyes wandered to everywhere in search of a solution. Then Link reacted. He showed a vision of him casting Nayru's Love on himself when he dealt with deadly situations. Saria followed his instinct and took out the blue crystal. She summoned a blue shield around herself. Link then envisioned her chopping at the columns until the powder keg was against the door, then detonating it to blow it away. Saria kept following his orders to the T. She then retreated to the entrance door and waited nervously with her shield up.

BOOM!

Saria waited for all the smoke and rubble to clear. She stepped over the pile and made her way back into the maze. _That trick would've come in handy back in the pillar room_. Link showed her a silly diagram with little pictures of him. _Constant use of light arrows + often use of Nayru's Love Energy drain._

Saria played her song to reveal the center of the maze. A statue of a young man wearing a blindfold, hunched over in an action pose, and holding a pair of foreign weapons stood tall over her. Iwazaru looked up at it.

"Bloody punk. He always was a show-off."

"What do we do now?"

Kikazaru sniffed around on the statue. Then another spirit manifested on the edge of the base. It was a child wearing a bloody, striped shirt and shorts. His eyes were white and his face pale with flecks of dried blood.

"Well I'll be damned!" Iwazaru greeted, "If it ain't good ole Kess Bloodysunday. It must be a family reunion or something! So tell us, young one, what brings you here?"

"I'm here to warn you of what's coming. I have seen what waits below."

"So how bad is he?"

"I got a peak down there. He looked like a jester. I wanted him to juggle something or dance around. But the faintest sounds make him violent. He got me a couple of times. But people like us don't feel pain. I was more scared if anything. I liked the old kid better. He was funnier than this joker. Take off the blindfold already! It's time to open his eyes. He has one too many, though. Blind the third one and make him see the light. "

Kess pointed at the back of the statue's head.

"Get into his head to get to him."

The child then disappeared.

Iwazaru dropped his head in annoyance.

"And what that meant, I have no clue."

Kikazaru sniffed around where Kess sat. Then he climbed up onto the statue. Saria cocked an eyebrow in curiosity while Iwazaru fought back some laughter because it looked like the statue was giving Kikazaru a piggyback ride.

"Heh heh. Enjoying the view up there, Kika-kun? Or are you just showing your affection? As cute as it is, it does not help us whatsoever in our quest."

"No wait- I think he's trying to show us something."

Kikazaru nodded as he pointed out the head. Saria approached the back of statue to get a better view. There, she saw a hole in the back of the head. Instantly, she called Kikazaru back and knocked her bow. The arrow right into the hole.

The earth shook. Then the statue crumbled into pieces. The base went up into the air on a large stone tower. A set of spiraling stairs lined the pillar starting from where Saria stood at the bottom.

"Well then, I guess we go up."

Saria started her way up the stairs. The spiral wrapped around the tower about seven times and the tower stood about three stories high. Saria was only past the first loop when-

BOOMP!

Saria stumbled.

"What the hell was that?" Iwazaru looked down.

Saria played a few more notes on the ocarina. She glanced down but rolled away to avoid the wave of exploding nuts. A bunch of scrub-smiles and manifested in the maze below and were aiming for the sage. Saria shielded herself and ran as fast as she could. The sprits followed behind her. The scrubs were blasting away at the tower and steps.

"Tuck and roll, woman!"

Kikazaru ran on all fours. The scrubs blew the steps away and he fell. A moment later he reappeared and continued running.

The three of them finally made it up to the top. The forest sigil lit up where the statue used to be. The platform turned into an elevator and sunk down into the tower.

Saria sat down from exhaustion. To say she was tired was an understatement. She was covered in scratches, claw marks, burns, and bruises. Half her tunic had burn marks on it. She learned the hardway about using too much energy. And she was feeling the fatigue. She tried summoning the power of the forest spirits, but she felt some great resistance from the earth for some reason.

Link reminded Saria about the red and green potions he kept in stock. She dug through her bag to find both bottles and downed them. First the red, then the green. In a mater of seconds she felt her energy return. She sighed in relief.

"I wonder where this thing is going anyway." Saria looked around.

"Obviously, it'll take us to Con." Iwazaru stated.

"There's the tree chamber. We must actually be going through the tree itself."

"Most likely."

Link projected a flashback of the Forest Temple boss, Phantom Ganon. The constant bouncing back of energy and and shooting at paintings made him a tedious enemy to defeat. Saria remembered a fair amount of what happened but not much since she was in the sage realm trying to ward off the evil.

_Have you ever nearly died?_

Link showed a vast array of images from almost falling into lava fighting Volvagia, to nearly being crushed to death by Bongo-Bongo, to the many failed attempts Gyorg made trying to eat him alive.

_That's crazy! You really put yourself into some dangerous situations._

Link then projected images of happy things like Hyrule Market or Clock Town to remind her that it takes risk and sacrifice to keep peace.

Saria was nervous now. _What happens if I mess up? You're a skilled warrior whose fought plenty of monsters. I've defeated some beasts myself, but I haven't taken on anything that big before._

Link showed Saria visions to teach her the key tricks. He first reminded her of what Kess talked about. Then he showed her images of him taking out the eyes or weakspots of many monsters. Normally they would show these weaknesses after a good beating or a certain chain rection occured like with Twinrova. Somtimes the enemies will just show them off on their own like with Gohma and Dodongo. Other times he would just have to wait like with Morpha, Phantom Ganon, and Volvagia. But he reminded her the two most important things: If she got in over her head, she could change persona. If she was near death, he still had a fairy. Saria grew a little more confident. She did have Link to help her as well as the Sages and 'Zarus to back her up. It was just a matter of getting to it. And she would have to in a few moments.

The lift stopped at the very bottom. Saria stepped out into a festive garden under a star-riddled night sky. It was quiet. The amtoshpere was quite calming. But Saria was far too alert. A gravel pathway lead to a large, bronze gateway with an engraving of the assassin on it.

"I guess that's it."

"Yep.

Saria checked her inventory and armed her weaponry. When ready, she approached the bronze gate. The forest sigil manifested once more over the door and parted it open.

"Here goes nothing."


	15. The Punk

**Chapter 13:**

**The Punk**

Saria found herself in what looked a some kind of training ground within a wooded area. Various dummies and targets were displayed long with other various contraptions for honing speed, agility, and precision within the vicinity. The trees made a canopy that filtered out half the moonlight. No animals stirred. No birds, no insects. Nothing.

DOOOM!

The bronze gate shut behind her.

Saria drew out her axe as she cautiously walked forward. Then the laughter came.

"Hehehehehehehehe."

Saria spun around in search of the sound. It echoed out. More laughter came. It vibrated everywhere. Saria waited anxiously for the assassin to come out.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Saria did a roll to avoid to avoid the fire. Then a great wind rolled by her. She stumbled but quickly recovered. Another trail of dust nearly hit her. Then another. And another. Then it started circling around her. Saria was about to shoot an arrow at it. The creature jumped up into the air and aimed for her head.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Saria ran out of the way before the thing landed. And she finally got a glance of the enemy. It was like what the ghost child explained earlier. It was a scrawny man three times her size with sickly green skin covered in a black top, black ripped shorts, and bands strapped to his arms and legs with strange metal objects hooked to them. He held his signature pair of firearms. A twisted jester's hat of pins and blades sat on his head. A gray blindfold covered his eyes. And a huge mutant smile blazed across his face.

**-Smiling Blind Fool: CON-**

Con aimed his weapons right at her head. Saria ran out of the way and dove into a bush. Con followed after her. She ran as fast as she could. Con shot at her some more. She took to the trees with the longshot. Con kicked his way up and chased her on the branches. Saria stumbled and fell to the ground. Con dropped down and shot a bunch of fireballs at her. She covered up with her shield. He ran out of fire power after a minute. Saria took the advantage and ran. Con reloaded his weapon and threw a metal shell at her. It hit her head and knocked her down. In the blink of an eye he was on her and pointing his cannon to her head. She sent her axe into his leg. He howled in pain. Saria escaped and ran some more. Iwazaru popped up.

"You can't keep running! You have to do something!

"He's...so fast!"

"But he's not invincible! Remember what Ayane said!"

Saria struggled to think. Then she remembered the blindfold.

Saria pulled out the bow turned around. Con was about to trample her when she let a fire arrow loose. It missed the blindfold but grazed Con's face enough to stop him. Con shrieked and held his head. Saria ran and hid behind a tree. Iwazaru watched from nearby.

"Con always was a bit of a baby."

"What are those weapons anyway?"

"They're called guns. And they cause a lot more damage than what your puny weapons can deal."

"What do we do then?"

"I told you, remember what Ayane and the kid said."

Saria then remembered the maze. _Sound!_

Saria took out the ocarina and played a few notes. The sound echoed throughout the woods. Con stood still to focus on the sound. Saria played a couple of songs to throw him off. She gradually moved around to keep spreading the music around. Con calmed down and slowly paced around the open area. She kept playing to keep him distracted until she could sneak a few more arrows in. She stubbed her foot on a stone and messed up a note. Con shifted his head in her direction and and let loose. She ran as the shots rang out behind her. She hid behind a large tree.

"What now? Music is not working!"

Link rung in her head. He projected memories of him using bombs to stop beamos and big foes like Iron Knuckles.

_Why didn't you say that in the first place?_

Link showed her the that the Goron's Bracelet is required for someone her size to lift and carry bombs. And he left the bracelet back at the hiedout. Saria grew frustrated. But Link told her he had no clue the sages would be joining him. If he did know ahead of time he would have kept it.

Saria thought hard as to what to do. Link stressed heavily that she keep quiet or else Con would find her. She curled up against the tree as much as she could to avoid being found. Then something hit her head. She winced and looked up. Kikazaru stood hunched over on a tree branch. Then she got an idea.

She threw a rock up at the white spirit to signal him down. Kikazaru teleported himself to her. She quietly and carefully handed him the bomb bag. She pointed up to the tree tops and whispered. "If he's close to you, drop a bomb. If he's close to me, drop a mouse. Understand?" Kikazaru nodded. He jumped back up into the tree.

Snap!

Con did a 180 turn in the direction of the sound and charged right for it. Saria ran out of the way.

BOOOM!

Con held his face in agony as the flame subsided to embers. Smoke was everywhere. Saria threw down a deku nut but it did nothing to phase him. She shot another fire arrow into his arm to distract him. She then sent her axe for his abdomen. But he stopped the blade. He kicked her into another tree and darted towards her to avoid another bomb. She crawled behind the tree before he could finish her off.

Link flashed an image of using ice arrows to freeze enemies in their place. Saria agreed to try it.

BOOOM!

Con flipped out of the way of the bombchu and shot at the tree tops in hopes of hitting Kikazaru. He just alternated in and out of opacity. Saria charged up an ice arrow. It went straight into Con's abdomen and froze his entire body. But he covered his face so she could not get a shot. But she let loose out an arrow just into the back of his head. He cried out and struggled to rip them out from his body. And Saria finally got a good quick shot to the face. But Con's arm broke through and stopped the projectile.

"No!"

Con ran at her.

Saria jumped up into the tree. Con grabbed her foot and pulled her down. Saria chucked her axe into his shoulder. He grunted but held back the pain enough to graze her face with a gunshot.

BOOM!

Kikazaru stopped him with a bombchu's direct hit.

Saria shot another ice arrow into Con. He froze. She aimed a fire arrow point blank at his head and let it go. Then it stopped in the air right before Con's fae.

"What the?"

BOOOOSH!

Saria was knocked into the open. The fire arrow had backfired by some force. Con was in the air about the bring his knee onto her. She rolled out of the way. He showered her with bullets as she ran for cover.

SPLOK!

"AAAH!"

Saria tumbled and into a ditch. She held her side in searing pain as she felt warm liquid pour out of her.

BOOOM! BOOM! BOBOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Kikazaru threw down bombs and bomchus in a massive aerial attack. The explosions disoriented Con and threw him off Saria's trail. Saria panted from the blood loss. Iwazaru was right about the guns. She desperately attempted to call upon the forest for strength. But something else seemed to drain the energy. She looked up and saw that Con was doing the same thing to heal himself. He took the in energy of the forest to heal his wounds. Every inch of damage Saria had made disappeared.

_What do I do now?_

Iwazaru reappeared.

"This can't go on forever, flower child. We need to think up a plan and end this battle!"

"But how?"

"The power of the his third eye keeps you from defeating him. In order to waken it, you must weaken Con. Wear the punk out and the third eye won't be able to stop you."

"How do we keep him from regenerating, though?"

Saria looked out and noticed that when Con used the forest to recover, the life around him whithered away, And a bit of tried brush caught fire while Kikazaru still threw the bombs. Link made her think back to the Sacred Forest Meadow.

"I got it now."

Saria slowly stood up and walked back into the open. Kikazaru diverted the last of the bombs on Con's side. Saria then pulled out Din's Fire and let loose a massive dome of fire throughout the area. Everything went ablaze. The pain of feeling the life burn made Saria ache. But Con felt it worse.

Con staggered back and feld his face once more. The flames set his hat on fire and burned the blindfold off. There, Saria saw a large, growing, green eye in the middle of his forehead. It looked straight at her. Saria was not afraid. They were both cut off from the forest now. It was only a matter or time before he would go down.

Saria took out Nayru's Love and cast it over herself. Con roared. Despite the wound, Saria picked up her sword and shield. Con charged and she did the same.

The two went to war on each other. Con sent a constant shower of bullets only to pause for a quick second to reload and bring more fire down upon her. Saria shielded herself from most of it and slung her blade into him. The gunshots hurt a little but did not penetrate because of the spell. Her axe, on the other hand, broke skin and muscle. And Con did not have anything to protect him from that. He would attack in bursts, shooting her a bunch of times, followed by a few kicks, then dart to a different position. The trick made it harder for Saria to hit him, but she cared less. he would wear down eventually.

The atmosphere was hot and stuffy from the fire. Saria breathed shallow breaths to avoid inhailing the smoke. Con looked unfazed by their burning surroundings. But it was getting intense. They kept on fighting. Con shot his guns. Saria swung her axe. Blood and sweat mixed with smoke. They only relented for a moment to recharge or reload.

Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click.

Con looked at his guns. He was out of ammo. Saria smiled. He dropped the weapons and went for her with his hands. He swung punches and kicks of all kinds at her. He was a little more agile. But Saria sustained no damage. She just kept swinging away at him. Con snuck a hand past her defenses and sent three fingers into a pressure point on her shoulder. Saria faltered and coughed. Con wrapped his hands around her throat. Saria struggled to free herself. But Con slung her around. Saria kept slamming the edge of her shield against his arm. He just cackled maniacally. Then Kikazaru jumped and latched himself onto Con's head. Con flailed around and tried to pull the white thing off this face. He threw Saria down and pulled hard on Kikazaru's shoulders to free his head.

Iwazaru called out to Saria, "It is time, flower child! Ready your weapon for the coup de gras!"

Saria knocked the bow with a light arrow. She aimed carefully for Con's head.

"NOW!"

Kikazaru jumped off. Con looked up.

SPLOK!

The arrow pierced the third eye with a wave of light. Con froze for a moment. Then he howled and flailed around. Link projected images of how it was similar to the fall of Ganon. Saria observed from a safe distance. Con roared out in pain a little longer. Then exploded into dust, followed by a bright light. Saria hid behind her shield.

The dust settled. Saria uncovered herself. Con was finally gone. All that was left were his guns and the burning forest around them. Saria put away her weapons and picked them up.

"It's over. I did it!"

Saria laughed and Kikazaru waved his arms around in victory.

The air in the place grew heavy. The burning forest around them moved back and forth, in and out. The ground contracted under Saria's feet. The whole scene fluctuated.

"Iwazaru, what's happening?"

"The dimension we're in is dissipating! With the evil gone, there is nothing left to hold this place together!"

"Then what happens to us?"

Link flashed images of him being beamed or teleported out of a dungeon after defeating a boss. He told Saria to relax and that everything should be okay. Saria looked up at the sky and noticed it was becoming dawn. Then all was white.


	16. 2nd Floor

**Chapter 14:**

**2nd Floor**

Link appeared in a green hallway of some sort. Saria stood next to him.

"What is this place, Link?"

Iwazaru and Kikazaru walked out from behind them.

"It can't be...Why are we here?"

"Iwazaru, do you know where we are?"

Iwazaru and Kikazaru silently looked at each other then looked at them.

"We're in...the Tower of Harman."

"Tower of... Harman?"

"Yes. It is the resting place of the six assassins. Each one has their own floor in the Tower. Right now, we're on the second floor. The Punk resides here."

A light flashed before them. Con appeared back in his human form. He was a little shorter than Link but still could tower over Saria. He still wore a blindfold but a tied rag covered his head instead of a crown. He smiled at the crew.

"Felt like I've been stuck in that place for years. I was able to sense everything, but I couldn't control myself. I was trapped in some dark place for the longest time. I was worried I would be stuck there forever. But you came along and freed me!"

Con lunged himself at Saria, "You were awesome, by the way! People have tried to get through the barrier, but most of them never made past the entrance maze, much less reach me! You got skillz, girl!"

Saria laughed nervously."Ummm, thanks, I guess."

"You mind getting to the reason why we're here, punk?" Iwazaru piped in.

Con scowled at the sound of Iwazaru's voice, "The fuck are you doing here?"

Kikazaru waved at Con, oblivious to the fact that he was blind.

"Master sent us to save your ass, dumbshit!"

"Fuck you-- wait!...You mean G-man's here?"

"No shit, sherlock! I thought you knew what was going on!"

Saria interjected. "Actually, he's in another region of Hyrule, but he is presently in this world."

"What about the others?"

"They're still trapped in other temples." Saria explained. "Next to Garcian, you're the first one we've rescued."

"Wow, seriously? They're all trapped?"

"Yes."

"Damn, I thought they would have been able to put up a fight. I guess they never saw the shit coming either."

"Apparently not. Things are pretty bad right now. But don't worry, we'll free them soon."

"I hope so...You smell nice!" Con still held onto Saria. Link cocked an eyebrow at the embrace. Saria gave Link a nervous smile emanating the wish that Con would let go already. She still patted him on the back.

Kikzaru whacked Con on the back of the head.

"Owww! Huh? Kika-kun! Is that you?"

Kikazaru jumped onto Con like a dog.

"Yeah, you kicked ass too, man! You were all like death from above and shit with da bombs! It sucked getting a face full of gimp crotch, though. But everything else you did was awesome!"

"Ah-HEM!"

"Oh yeah."

Con stood back up and got serious but spoke in a prominent, dramatic voice.

"You have broken the dark barrier and freed me from the infernal clutches of Kun Lan. Because of this, the evil tainting the forest is now gone. The wounds of chaos inflicted upon this land shall heal themselves with time and order. To symbolize the return of peace, I shall return my weapons to the case."

The Shield of Sages glowed on Link's back. It disintegrated into a hundred rays of light. The light reformed into the weapons case. It opened up a glowing white void. Con did some poses like a warrior then placed his guns in the weapons case. The case shut itself afterward.

"There's something else I want to give. But this goes to your little lady-friend."

Con lunged at Saria and held her in his arms.

"I give you this gift, so that you may be swift in your journey."

Con let go and did some more dramatic poses.

"Soniiiiic Speed!"

He then shot two bursts of energy from his finger guns into Saria's legs, making them glow green with little wings sprouting out on her ankles. Then they vanished.

"Now you can run as fast as me! You can sprint as well, but only for a little bit or else you get tired."

Saria looked at her legs. This time, she really looked excited. "Wow..Thanks!"

Con embraced her again. "So come back to me when you're done saving my friends!"

"Um...okay!"

"Let us return to the forest then!"

Everything faded to white.

Link, Con, and the Zarus appeared back in the Sacred Forest Meadow. They all stood on the top of the labyrinth. Con turned to Link.

"There's something else, though." he went on, "Not all of the heaven smile has been banished from here. Kun Lan placed a failsafe within the nether regions of the forest in case the temple was ever successfully invaded. But because you're the hero and need to go conquer the other temples and other shit like that, I shall go and silence the evil!"

"You sure you're fit to do that, sprite?" Iwazaru poked at Con's temper.

"Hell yeah, I can do it! I'm a bad motherfucker!"

"Is that what you said when the smiles got you the first time?"

"Shut up! They only got me because there were so many of them and I ran out of bullets!"

"Whatever."

Con growled but shook off the disdain.

"Anyway, You guys go ahead and deal with whatever shit ya'll gotta knock out. I'll deal with the failsafe. After that, I'm gonna go find Garcian. Go save my friends and I'll protect yours."

"Hey! People!"

"Huh?"

Link looked behind Con. Fig, the scrub, climbed out of the hole.

"I was starting to wonder what happened. We haven't seen Saria yet. Is it safe to come out?"

"Yes, everything is okay now. The Forest Temple is no longer evil. We conquered it. You can all return to your happy everyday lives!" Con smiled and waved.

"Really?"

"Really."

"This is good news!" Fig bounced, "I must tell the others!"

"Indeed! Tell them all! We have saved the forest!"

Iwazaru interrupted their victory. "Not yet, you still have to deal with the failsafe. Do you even know where it's at?"

"Yeah, I do! It's in that giant tree with the mustache."

"The Great Deku Tree?" Fig interjected. "You must hurry, then. The Kokiri are hiding in there!"

"Holy shit! That's right! I gotta go! You guys go tell the good news while I run like hell!"

"Okay!"

Con darted off. Within the blink of an eye, he was gone. Fig jumped back in the hole. The echoes of cheers and chirps rung out. Link let the scrubs deal with victory in their own way. He walked the end of the maze-top. He dropped down from the walls and marched on. Iwazaru hovered next to him as they exited the meadow.

"Sweet Harman, that guy is nuts! Stupid Asian kids with their crazy TV shows and martial arts! They're all insane I tell ya! All hopped up on cheap candy and tiger dong!"

Link stared blankly at Iwazaru.

"Nevermind. We need to focus on the next target. I sense two other assassins up north. One of them is in what seems to be a volcano, and the other in some sort of burial ground."

Link automatically deduced Iwazaru meant the Fire and Shadow Temples of Death Mountain. If those were the next ones, Link would take the shortcut in the woods to Goron City and enter the Crater through Darunia's room like he normally did. After dealing with the Fire Temple, he would work his way down the mountain to Kakariko Village and re-enter the Shadow Temple from there.

"Link! Wait!"

Link stopped and turned around. The Skull Kid, fairies, and the Dealer came went after him. Tatl and Tael flew to Link.

"You didn't forget about us, did you?"

Link smiled.

"You did, didn't you! How could you!" Tatl knocked on Link's head a few times. "After all we've been through, you were just gonna leave us like that!"

Tael spoke in a more friendly tone, "We were wondering what happened to you. The green girl said you helped clear the forest. We've been waiting so long to see you."

Skull Kid and the Dealer dropped speak to Link. The Dealer smiled his warm but creepy smile. "Did the Kokiri girl ever reach the Temple? I hope she did."

"It's been too long, Link." Skull Kid waddled up to them. "So you're saving the world again, huh? That's a pretty tough job. You sure you don't need any help?"

"Yeah! Take us with you!" Tatl bobbed. "It'll be like old times. And let's face it, you need us. You know you do! I had to help you through Termina! You need our help now!"

Iwazaru spoke up. "Sorry, but the job of guiding spirit has been taken."

Kikazaru popped up and sniffed at the Dealer. "Hello there. That's a strange looking mask you have on."

"What do you mean 'taken'?" Tatl made a bee line to Iwazaru.

Iwazaru replied. "Exactly what I said. We're Link's guardians through this journey. And we're not taking any more help right now. We already have seven people in our crew. Any more would be too much."

"What makes _you_ so special?"

"We know how to destroy the Heaven Smile. Did you not pay attention when we were with the tree-stump people earlier?"

"But..But..Link!" Tatl pleaded.

Link stood there with sorrow on his face. He wished he could bring them along. But Iwazaru was right. If they joined with him, they would only be a liability.

The Dealer intervened.

"That's enough, Tatl. The man is right."

"But, Dealer-"

"No. We're not powerful enough to fight the menace. We would only get in their way."

"You say that only because you have those masks to protect!"

"And you say that to cover up the fact that you missed Link enough that you're willing to endanger yourself to go on another adventure! And that can't happen. Besides, you two and Skull Kid swore to protect the masks. You have an oath to uphold!"

"But...I.."

Tatl shuddered and flew off.

Tael did not go after his sister. "It's okay. She's just overreacting. She'll be fine later."

"We'll be fine here, Link." Skull Kid patted him on the shoulder. "Besides, the Kokiri might need our help in reconstructing their homes. You go ahead. We'll catch up later."

Link turned around and walked away.

"Oh, and Link?"

Link looked back.

"Good luck."

Con entered the Kokiri Forest. The place was still silent from when Link cleaned everything out. Con jumped off the cliffs into the water pond below. He smelled the air. It carried the scents of various plants mixed the smoke from the little burners randomly placed in certain spots. He then smelled the strong and oaky scent of deku weapons nearby.

Con entered a house where the deku smell grew stronger. He sniffed out something behind a counter. But all he found were a bunch of broken sticks.

"Shit."

The punk left the hut and ran around the village in search of a good weapon. He opened his senses up to anything abnormal. Then he tripped over something.

"Ow! Fuck!"

He picked up what he tripped over. It felt like a large bone. He studied the bone with his fingers carefully and registered the thing to be a cow's skull.

"NEEEEIIIIGGH!"

"AAAH!"

Upon further analization, Con realized there was a horse close to him. He tried to approach it.

"It's okay. I won't hurt you!"

The horse ran away. Con ran after it. He was faster. He jumped onto the wild thing and tried to ride it. The horse ran around madly until it abruptly stopped and threw Con off into a large tree.

"Damnit! Stupid horse!"

Con's arm hit something. He winced but examined the object further. It was a ladder. Con climbed up it and entered another house. It smelled like the other houses, but there was something else. He carefully analyzed the air. Gold dust. He put his hands down on a table but immediately pulled them back.

"Ah fuck!"

Something cut his hand.

Con carefully ran his hands across the table when they hit something cold and metallic. They ran down something that felt like a blade. They reached what felt like a hilt and grabbed it. He picked the sword up and practiced a few moves with it.

"Perfect!"

Con jumped out of the house and looked for one of the little burners. He remembered Link had put them there to keep away the baba. He took away the little fire. A wild baba popped out. Com chopped it from the stem to make a deku stick. He chopped its head off the ten more times it respawned for nuts.

Con ran through the corridor into a grove where he discovered something that felt like a giant only but smelled oaky with a hint of pine.

"Hello, stranger. I don't believe I've met you before! What brings you here to this forest?"

Con fell over from being startled.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"Man, you are the hugest talking tree-stump I have ever seen."

"I am no talking tree stump! I am the rejuvenated Great Deku Sprout! For the longest time, I was about to wither and die. But now that the Forest Temple has been purged, I can flourish once again!"

"Then you know what's going on?"

"Come again?"

Con took a deep breath and got into his 'hero' mode.

"I have been sent here by the great hero to save you!"

"Save me? From what?"

"The evil one, Kun Lan, has implanted an evil demon within the Great Deku Tree! I have come here to exorcise it before it breaks loose and wreaks terror upon this world!"

"Great Deku! I shall open the tree immediately!"

The Great Deku Sprout focused closely on summoning the strength to open the tree. Con heard a great, aching moan of wood creeking and shifting.

"You're free to enter now. Hurry!"

Con ran through the entrance. He heard voices of confused people echoing at the tops of the chamber. Con called out to them.

"Great fariy people, I have come to save you from darkness! Leave this place, for the forest is free!"

Con jumped down into a pit. He landed in a pool of water. His instincts lead him to look for the next pit. He jumped into it as well. He swam out of it and ran to a door nearby.

Laughter instantly echoed within the walls of the room. Con readied his sword and stick. Judging by the sounds emmiting from the center, Con predicted the creature was a running smile. The smile was about thirty feet away but closing in fast. He charged at the demon. They clashed. Con stuck the sword into its neck. The smile triggered a flash, then dust. Something else fell along with it. Con picked the object up. It was a soul shell.

Memories crept in the back of his head of using the soul shells to get through the Viniculum Gate. _Good times._

Con made his way out of the dungeon. He froze when he sensed the presence of the fairy children. He heard their whispers and quiet awe. Then they cheered victory. Con smiled and did some more action poses. He lead the people in a small parade back to the village. They stopped to silently survey the landscape the was once their home. It was in ruin, but Con could sense their hope as they picked up the pieces.

Three of the fairy kids ran towards a house in the distance and cried out, "Epona! You're alive!" Con heard them as they played with the horse.

The punk then sensed something. An abnormal mixture of blood, sweat, and incense grew slightly more abundant. It was familiar somehow. He did not try to think back too long because the smell's trail meant the origin of it was getting closer. Someone was coming.

The fairy children were silent again. The people were there. The air was tense now. One of the strangers spoke up.

"Excuse us! We are soldiers sent here by our leader, General Naji, on behalf of the Hylian Resistance. We have orders to survey the area and look for a man named Link. Have any of you seen or heard of him?"

The name echoed with all the people. It was then followed by the surprise that Link was still alive. Con finally realized who the men were. They carried the scent of the many soldiers that tried to enter the Forest Temple and died horribly. But the intensity that came with the name Link diverted Con's attention from his inner shame to the drama around him. He felt cocky now and decided to announce the good news.

"Sorry, boys, but the hero is gone off in another castle!."

"I beg your pardon, sir?"

"Yeah, Link cleared the Forest Temple and freed me earlier this morning. He and his lady-friend have freed the forest!"

"Lady-friend?"

"Yeah, you know, Saria."

The children echoed the names in shock and surprise. One of the boys spoke up, "That can't be true! No one has seen heads or tails or Link _or_ Saria for over seven years. Why would they come back now?"

The three brothers argued. "It has to be true! Epona didn't come back on her own! There's no way! She was ridden here! And how do you explain all the monsters disappearing?"

Another voice spoke out. Everyone looked up to the cliffs near the Lost Woods. Skull Kid, the crew, and all of the deku scrubs stood above them.

"The blind one speaks true! Link and the forest sage fought their way through the woods and cleared the land of evil! Praise be to Link! Praise be to Saria!"

The scrubs cheered on.

"Praise Link! Praise Saria! Praise Link! Praise Saria! Praise Link! Praise Saria!"

The cheer grew onto the children. They all raised their fists in glory and shouted,

"Praise Link! Praise Saria! Praise Link! Praise Saria! Praise Link! Praise Saria!"


	17. Past

**Chapter 15:**

**Past**

Garcian sat in the conference chamber and ate a simple breakfast of a stew with some rice and bread. He drank milk with his meal. It made him miss his world. He needed coffee at least to keep him awake, especially since he stayed awake for two days straight. It was only the night before did he finally tire out. Zelda showed him to the Sheikah quarters of the Underground where they resided. The Sheikah were charged with night shift guard duty, so he could sleep sound for a good eight hours. The food was pretty tasty for rationed goods, though.

Zelda entered the chamber, wearing a clean Skeikah outfit. She approached the humble assassin.

"The recon team has secured the ranch. Aside from some stray, wondering smiles from the field, the place is completely cleaned out."

"You don't sound so surprised."

"I told you, I have faith in Link because he has saved Hyrule before. He knows what he is doing. But I am surprised he freed the ranch like that. And so quickly."

"You sure you're not rushing into things?"

Zelda pulled herself a chair. She spoke discretely to Garcian.

"Well, I didn't want to do anything big right now. But I have an alliance to maintain and demands to fulfill. The Generals are right, though. We need to do something soon. This structure holds over a thousand people. Those people are either Sheikah, Zora, or Hylians like me. But race regardless, we're over-crowded. And this isn't the only place holding refugees. We have other underground sanctuaries housing families. But living down here will not suffice much longer. Poor conditions and depression are taking a toll on the people. If we don't get out of here soon, we will start to die. Physically and mentally. That's why Link is so important. Because he can give us a chance to fight back. And with him defeating the monsters, we have the opportunity to strike while the iron is hot."

"I still have some reservations about this."

"But that's why I want you to come with us."

"Come with you? Where?"

"Lon Lon Ranch is up for the seizing. You, yourself, said that our best strategy would be to establish some well-enforced bases around Hyrule. What's a better place than that?"

"Yeah, but so soon? Besides, what makes you so sure Kun Lan or Ganondorf won't find out?"

"We have no choice. If we want to ever get out of these caves, we have to take the chance. And I think I can speak for everyone when I say I'd rather die fighting them on the ground than live in fear under it."

"So when do we leave?"

"In a few hours, depending on how long the loading and clean-up crew takes."

"Loading? Clean-up crew?"

"I'm having a team of volunteers travel up there with us and help clean up the ruins. As soon as they are done, we can begin reconstruction."

"So soon."

"I have to give something to my people, Garcian."

"I know."

Zelda glanced around as to avoid the lingering ears of strangers.

"I have something to show you."

Garcian looked up at her. She kept a solemn but promising smile. Garcian quickly but steadily finished his plate.

"Leave it here. A maid will pick it up."

Garcian followed Zelda through a series of hallways. They went past a cluster of soldiers' rooms and armories until they reached a spread of guarded chambers. Garcian already assumed they were Generals' chambers. The guards nodded at the two as they passed by. Zelda stopped at the farthest chamber on the left. Garcian followed her in.

Zelda's room consisted of a niche dug out of a wall half the size of his old trailer. Strategically placed mirrors and pieces of glass lit the room up moderately. There was a cot in the far left corner as well as some Hylian decorations pinned on the walls. A vanity sat next to the makeshift bed. Various chests and boxes were stacked on top of each other next to stacks of books on subjects Garcian did not know. A sheet covered what looked like a large person next to the vanity. Zelda stood and eyed the object.

"I found this within the ruins of the castle when the war first broke out."

Zelda carefully removed the sheet to reveal a large suit of armor. Garcian stood in awe. The assembly and arrangement of the metal pieces were similar to eastern and Asian armor. But the style of the suit was still Western in taste, just as the suits of the Hylian soldiers were. Engraved on the chest plate was a large phoenix with the symbol of the Triforce. The arm plates had western-style dragons engraved into them. The whole set was polished so much, the wielder could possibly blind the enemy on any given day. The advantages were practical as well as psychological. The leader wearing the suit could psyche out the enemy as well as show the lesser soldiers where he was at all times. The only weakness was that such a trick gave away positions if hiding. But Garcian had a feeling this was not the common armor for any warrior.

"It miraculously survived the attack on the castle. Greatly damaged, mind you, but still together."

"It's amazing."

"I had our blacksmith, Gareth, restore it to near-former glory."

"My compliments to him."

Garcian rubbed a finger down the chest plate. Not one speck of dirt.

"I want you to wear it."

"What!"

"It's not safe to travel around in Hyrule without protection."

"But I can't wear that! It's so beautiful. I'd just damage it."

"This armor has suffered slings, arrows, and cannons to protect my father and his ancestors for over five generations. Yet, it has still survived the heaviest of battle. It has been reconstructed, reinforced, touched up, bound, beaten, and strengthened back into shape. After it's creation, it was blessed by the Priests of Light and all of the Great Fairies in Hyrule. Whoever wears it is said to be virtually invincible."

"If it's so important, then why doesn't someone else wear it? Why not Link? He's the one who's supposed to save us."

Zelda smiled sheepishly. "Link doesn't like to wear much protection. It impedes his movement, so he says. Besides, he's too small for it. My father was a tall man, after all. "

At that moment, Garcian was not sure whether to be amazed at her offering him to wear the armor of a king or the fact that she actually heard Link talk.

"You are just as important as Link, though. You have told us a lot of important information about the workings of Kun Lan. Things that we would have never known on our own, even if we had Link to help us. And since you are similar to my father's build, I want you to try it."

Garcian gazed at the armor before, then looked down at his hands. He felt like this was a bit much. He did not think himself worthy to wear something so honorable. On the other hand, he had nothing left that could help him. Link had the weapons case. Even then, he used up all of his artillery fighting Kun Lan and the smiles. He still had the magic rings, but they were rendered useless when transported to Hyrule. He sighed and dropped his hands.

"Okay."

Zelda handed him some clothes to change into and turned around. Garcian stripped to his undershirt and boxers and set the three-piece suit aside. He put on a clean shirt, pants, and some socks. He talked to Zelda as he changed.

"You're the Princess of Hyrule, right?"

"I was once, yes."

"Then, if you don't mind me asking, why do you wear the Shiekah uniform?"

Zelda took a breath.

"When I was a child, I had a caretaker named Impa. She was descendant of a long line of Sheikah chosen by my ancestors long ago to help protect the kingdom. She taught me everything she knew. Then Ganondorf came. She helped me evacuate from the kingdom. We fled Hyrule together; but Ganondorf caught up with us and there was a battle. She sent me away before he could catch me. The Sheikah people of Kuninomekunai took me in after I told them what had happened. For five years, I studied and trained with them until I turned sixteen. Then I returned to Hyrule in hopes of saving it. That was two years ago."

"I take it Impa never came back?"

"Yes, actually she did."

"Really? Where is she now?"

"She became a Sage."

"A Sage?"

Garcian signaled when he was done. Zelda explained everything as she took pieces of the armor off and helped him put them on.

"This land is guarded by seven Sages. Six of them represent the elements of the world and each race of people that reside in them. The Sage of Forest protects the wooded regions and the Kokiri who help guard them; the Sage of Fire watches over Death Mountain and the Gorons who live there; the Sage of Water guards the waters of Hyrule along with the Zora Domain; the Sage of Shadow-Impa- protects Kakariko Village and its neighboring inhabitants; and the Sage of Spirit watches over the desert regions of the Gerudolands."

The whole story reminded Garcian of the many religions of his world. The many saints of the Catholic faith, the Shinto sects of Japan, the many pagan gods worshiped in history, and, immediately, the powers of his old master and Kun Lan. For the longest time, Garcian had no spiritual life. All he had was his master. And that was God enough. Then he broke free of the old master when he learned of his past. Then he had the power of truly free though. For a while, he had a spiritual infatuation in finding Jesus. But when witnessing the infinite powers of Master and Kun Lan, combined with the brutal ways of the world, it was impossible to keep the faith.

Garcian shook off the flashback of philosophy before the nostalgia could seize him. He focused on learning more about Hyrule.

"The Sages do not just guard the lands, though. They guard a special place, called the Sacred Realm. The Sacred Realm houses the most powerful object in the world."

"Let me guess: the Triforce."

Zelda nodded.

"There's something I want to know." Garcian inquired.

"What is it?" Zelda asked as she helped tighten some parts to fit.

"How do you know all this? I know you're part of the royal bloodline, but I sense that some of all this knowledge was meant to be secret."

Zelda took another deep breath. Garcian spoke up disarmingly.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No, you should know all of this. It's just a lot to tell."

Zelda first recited the story of the creation of Hyrule. She explained the three Goddesses that created the land and their departure from the world. And before their leave, they combined their power to create the Triforce. The Triforce resided in the Sacred Realm, guarded by the Sages.

"That was the beginning of Hyrule. But the beginning of the conflict with Ganondorf started around seven years ago. Well...sort of. The story is very complicated."

"Trust me, I understand."

Zelda went on and explained the history among Link, Ganondorf, and her. From her dreams before and after the arrival of Ganondorf, to Link stepping into the picture and the collection of Spiritual Stones.

"We thought we knew what we were doing. We thought if we collected the stones before Ganondorf could take them, we could stop him. But then he caught onto our plan. That's when Impa and I fled. I threw Link the Ocarina of Time to keep it safe. But then we realized something. Ganondorf knew of my actions and kept me away in order to get to the Temple. He knew Link would try to get to the Sacred Realm before he did. And when Link opened the Door of Time, Ganondorf snuck in.

"The result: Ganondorf breaks the Triforce by touching it. Because his heart was not pure, it separated into three pieces. He carried the Triforce of Power. But the other two vanished. Meanwhile, the Sages had Link sealed away for seven years in the Sacred Realm until he was old enough to take on the forces of evil. However, the damage was dealt. Hyrule fell into darkness. But Link saw past the darkness and awakened the Sages. We found the other two pieces later. Link has the one of the pieces. The other went to the seventh Sage."

"And who is that?"

"Me."

Garcian analyzed the situation. "So this has happened before?"

Zelda went on. She explained everything as if she were looking for something she missed. A crack of frustration showed itself in her tired eyes as she spoke.

"Yes, but not like this. We collected the stones. We kept the Ocarina safe. The Master Sword returned to the pedestal and we sealed the Door of Time. But Ganondorf still got out! Then seven years go by once again and here we are!"

She calmed down as she looked at the armor.

"The only forces that have really caused change all this time are you and Link."

Garcian pitied Zelda and brooded upon everything she told him. The whole situation made him think about a lot of things. Mostly Ganondorf. He had the Triforce of Power, something that could give him unlimited power like Kun Lan and the God Hand. The two were very much alike. They were terrorists. They had power. And they have killed many people to keep it. But there was one difference. Kun Lan was born with the God Hand. Ganondorf had to acquire the Triforce. That fact alone could show he had some weakness.

"But there is something I wish to know." Zelda requested.

Garcian broke his train of thought to divert his attention back to her.

"What is it?"

"What did you mean by 'the leader'?"

Garcian took a second to collect his thoughts. He gathered the basic story and avoided the complications as much as possible.

"A long time ago, in my world, Kun Lan would roam the land and cause havoc. He would terrorize places all over the world with the Heaven Smile. I was chosen to fight them...But I wasn't alone. There were seven others. I had six other comrades who helped me fight Kun Lan's tyranny. Each of them had their own special skills in the fight. But I was the leader who commanded them. And we were nearly unstoppable.

"A few years ago, my crew and I were on a mission to clean out a school. I learned something there about my past. Something big. A whole string of things happened after that...Then a big battle... I walked away from it. But I never saw my friends again after that."

"Who was the seventh person?"

"My former...employer: Harman Smith."

Zelda nodded to acknowledgment.

"Whatever happened to him?"

Garcian replied despite the distant pain the memories brought with them.

"I don't know. I broke away from him after the incident. Kun Lan disappeared again by that time. I was still in shock from everything. I couldn't take it anymore. But he was the one who disappeared after that. The same was as Kun."

Zelda stood and listened intently as if she were looking for some shred of an answer to the problem. But she gave her respects.

"I'm sorry for your loss. We've all lost friends and family in this war. I myself lost my family and the kingdom."

"That must be hard on you."

Zelda just shrugged.

"I came to terms with that pain a long time ago when it happened the first time. If anything, I'm more angry at the fact that it happened again. But it must be hard not having your friends to help you. I still have Link, the Sages, and the army to aid me."

"I live. Being an assassin requires the utmost independence."

"Indeed it does."

The two changed back to the subject of their presence.

"You look great, by the way. Just like a king."

Garcian blushed a little as he looked in the mirror. The idea of him being a king was a bit much. But he could not help but feel powerful. He always wanted to be a samurai when he was a kid. That's why he chose to learn Bushido and the ways of Japan. With the way things were now, he could not help but think there would be at least one fun thing coming out of all this. And looking like a samurai would have to be it.

"Yeah, but it will take some getting use to. It fits perfect, though."

"Like what she said. Just like a king."

Garcian and Zelda shifted their sight to the door. Naji leaned on it with his arms folded.

"I would be careful if I were you, Princess. Letting him wear that around might offend some people. They might even call it blasphemy."

Garcian was not sure what to think of that comment but part of him felt a little offended. Zelda spoke up from surprise.

"Naji. What brings you here? How long have you been here?"

"Long enough."

Naji picked himself up and approached them.

"I was wondering what was going on. Why you were searching for the Spiritual Stones and the Ocarina back then... How you discovered the Sheikah...Why you had troops infiltrate the temples...Why you have so much faith riding on Link's shoulders...I guess I know now."

"Naji, I-"

"Don't worry, Princess. I've dabbled in enough politics to know when to keep a secret. However, I warn you. I don't like being kept in the dark about matters like this."

Garcian spoke up in a suspicious tone.

"Why have you come here?"

"My scouts have received a messenger hawk confirming my squad has reached the forest. And they have much news."

"What did they find out?" Zelda waited anxiously.

Naji unraveled a scroll of paper.

"According to the scouts, the forest has been purged. There were no signs of monsters whatsoever. Aside from the damage inflicted, the whole region looks as if nothing had happened. The Kokiri are also alive and have returned to their homes."

Zelda's eyes lit up.

"So Malon was right. Link did enter the woods. Do they know anything about Link?"

"Yes, actually. Upon entering the Kokiri camp, they discovered the Kokiri folk, a tribe of deku scrubs, and a few other foreigners celebrating victory. One of the foreigners, a blind, belligerent, adolescent boy, told them that Link and his 'lady-friend' had freed him from the Forest Temple, and that they were 'off in another castle.'"

Garcian felt a chill when Naji reported. He sensed his past haunting him once again. He still paid attention to silence it.

Zelda urged Naji on in restrained excitement. "Does the boy know where Link went? And who is with him?"

"The boy said he did not know. Only that Link did not leave the Lost Woods with him. But he identified the girl was named Saria."

Zelda froze to take in everything. Garcian watched as her eyes shifted around the room in calculation. He spoke up for the sake of clarity. "Who is Saria?"

"The Forest Sage, and one of the Kokiri." Zelda replied while contemplating. "She probably helped Link." She set aside her silence and spoke up. "There are only two other places Link could have gone. He is traveling North up to either to Death Mountain or to Zora River. Nonetheless, this is great news!"

"That is good news. However, there is some bad news as well."

Zelda blinked out of her internal fit of happiness into curiosity. "What is it?"

Naji read on, "Unfortunately, a small riot occurred in the little village."

"A riot?" Zelda and Garcian were both concerned now.

"It happened soon after the squad entered the forest. During their encounter with the Kokiri, one of the children became aggressive and started shouting at the team. He accused them of 'being the enemy' and 'trapping them in the wolves' den'. He tried to coax the other people into attacking the group. The squad tried to calm the child, but were forced to subdue him. This aroused the actions of the blind kid to attack the team. They tried to subdue him but it took some heavy tactics to keep him down. The battle triggered the fellow villagers to go into panic. After finally detaining the blind one, they calmed the crowd down with a bottle of sleeping gas. Luckily, they suffered from minor injuries and no one was killed. The team retreated to the Lost Woods with the detainees for quick recovery and plan to return within a day."

Zelda rubbed her face and thought hard on the ordeal. "That's very strange. Kokiri are not violent people. I wish to question the detainees about the matter."

"Ten steps ahead. I have sent a message back for them to meet us at the ranch. We shall see them shortly."

"Very well, then. We shall prepare to depart."

"I'll be waiting for your call." Naji said as he left.

Zelda and Garcian waited quietly before they believed Naji was out of hearing distance. A bunch of feelings stirred inside Garcian at once. He instinctively spoke up in cool apprehension.

"What do we do now?"

"We will leave shortly. But before we do, we will equip you with a weapon. After that, we ride to the ranch and deal with the issues at hand."

"What we do we do about Naji?"

"Nothing. I brought him into my ranks because he's one of the only Sheikah I _can_ trust."

Garcian was still worried. Zelda escorted him out and guided him to the armory. She helped him pick out a sword. He tried to look for a katana blade but avoided getting his hopes up since he was not in Japan. He was fascinated by all the weaponry they had. The Hylian swords were like the typical western or European blade. The Goron arms ranged from axes, pick-axes, large hammers, some well-crafted broadswords, to what looked like zanbaktoes made of massive, sharpened slabs of limestone with handles stuck into them. They and the Zora also made a series of gauntlets with all kinds of razors encrusted on them. Garcian took a liking to them, but they would not fit an average man. Zelda showed him some models of scimitar she collected when personally sneaking into the Spirit Temple. Garcian admired the craftsmanship but he was had a better defense with one two-handed weapon that two one-handed weapons (except for guns, but he still kept to a one-hand-per-firearm policy during combat.)

"Wait, I might have one other piece that will fit to your taste."

Zelda searched around carefully in the hall of deadly arms.

"Now where did I place that thing?"

"Can I help ye with something, M'lady?"

Zelda and Garcian looked back. A tall, burly, bald man entered the armory. He had a large, bushy beard and wreaked of metal.

"Ah, Gareth!" Zelda stood up and greeted. "Just the man I was looking for! Garcian, this is Gareth. He's our top blacksmith. Gareth, this is Garcian, our new ally in the war."

Gareth and Garcian shook hands.

"What can I do for ye, today?"

"I need you to find that special Sheikah sword the Emperor gave me as a gift."

"Very well, M'lady. Shall I also bring your the Reckoning?"

"Yes, please."

Gareth excused himself to find the weapons.

Garcian eyed her in curiosity.

"Emperor? Reckoning?"

"You'll see."

Gareth returned, holding two large items covered in sacks. He gave Zelda the longer one to hold. The shorter one Gareth opened up to reveal a large, exquisitely forged Sheikah sword. It was an Eastern-style. The blade was a half-inch wider and nearly six inches longer. It was more like an o-dachi rather than a katana. But Garcian smiled.

Zelda explained the backstory. "The Emperor Sanzo of Kuninomekunai bestowed me that sword as a gift for re-establishing ties with Hyrule. It was a token of good luck in our battle for freedom and peace."

Garcian gripped the weapon and examined. He even tested some striking poses. Gareth waved his hands around nervously. "Whoa, there! Training grounds are for practicing, not here!"

"Sorry." Garcian apologized. "This weapon is perfect, though. But what about you?"

Zelda smiled and uncovered the sack to reveal a large halberd. The pole of it was as tall as Garcian. The end of it looked as if someone ripped the hilt off a machete and welded the blade on top. It was properly bound and decorated with Sheikah-Hylian designs.

"I'm more of a spear person; but with this, I can slash as well as stab."

"Nice." The assassin admired the quality work.

Gareth stood proud. "Indeed, tis mah best work yet."

Garcian felt his sense of humor come out. If Zelda ever had a past-life on earth, she would have been a great ally for Ieyasu Tokugawa. He already envisioned her on horseback, swinging her weapon in the air and slaughtering cavalry and foot soldiers alike as she sounded her battle cry.

When they were ready, Zelda and Garcian reached the entrance where Naji and some Hylian guards awaited. They all reached the surface and marched to the cave where Talon, the head rancher still watched over the horses. He greeted them as they came and waved as they left. They galloped across the field under the gray morning sky. The ranch was within sight after an hour. Guards surrounded the outside perimeter of the hill. Two greeted them as they entered the gates.

The group of arrivals watched in shock as they saw the many ranch tenants running around in panic among tents and bonfires. They searched for a commanding officer nearby. Ando spotted the group first and rushed to them.

"Commander!" Ando saluted.

"What's happening, Ando?" Zelda inquired.

"Naji's team from the forest arrived an hour ago. They have captives!"

"Yes, Ando, we are aware of that. We had the team bring them here for questioning."

"Those captives escaped!"

"What!" Zelda calmly exclaimed. Garcian and Naji were now alarmed.

"Not too long after they arrived, the team brought the two people while they were still knocked out. But one of them regained consciousness and broke free! He took the other prisoner and now they're loose in the ranch!"

Naji struck out at Ando.

"You fool! How could you have let this happen!"

"Me? Your little friends brought them here! And why was I not told of this news sooner?"

"Zelda left you in charge of this camp! You are responsible for keeping the peace here!"

"That's enough!" Zelda silenced them both.

"Our apologies, Commander."

"Find the two and bring them to me. I shall deal with them personally."

The wave of panic changed and a group for about twenty soldiers ran after a pale apparition with something green on its back. It was was to see what it was because it ran so fast. Soldiers scrambled in little organized teams, swords and shields ready. They tried to close in on the blur but it was too fast for them. Naji and the other Sheikah dashed the places near Zelda and flew out in pursuit of the escapees. They integrated into one team with the forest ones and rained down upon the two captives. The blur stopped to catch its breath he swung a sword around.

"You guys aren't taking us again! Hell no! Mido was right! You fucking ninjas can't be trusted!"

Garcian's eyes widened and froze in shock. An atom bomb of flashbacks played in his head as he watched the blind, adolescent punk try to fight twenty ninjas with one Hylian sword while carrying an unconscious child on his back.

"Get the fuck back! All of you! Or so help me I will fuck you all up Chinatown-style!"

The name bled out of Garcian's mouth as he felt his mind self-destruct and the gravity leave his feet.

"Con!"

Then all went to black.

"Garcian? Garcian!"


	18. Ember

Chapter 16:

Ember

HSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS-

BOOOOM!

HSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS-

BOOOOM!

Link stepped forward as the smoke and dust cleared. The air was so filled with it, Link had to wrap his hat around his face to make a makeshift gas mask. It worked to some extent. But his eyes watered abundantly from lacking proper protection.

The hero and the guardian spirits ventured deep into the secret passage connecting Kokiri Forest with Goron City. Someone or something had caused a cave-in in the tunnel and Link had spent a good few hours trying to blow himself a path through all the mess. After the first hour, he started to regret taking the passage and wished he took the Zora River tunnel. But he had a feeling he would have to drill into the Goron path regardless.

The explosions triggered another downpour of dirt. It was a mild one, though. Most of the damage has already been inflicted. The rubble was just the last of the loose material. Link saw the ceiling tops of fault cracks. One of them had some light pouring out. Who knew where it went. Link just kept digging and blowing up boulders.

Link finally reached a hollow spot big enough for him to crawl through. It spanned about twenty feet. Kikazaru appeared and sniffed around in the mess. Iwazaru followed.

"Kikazaru smells Heaven Smile. But I do not sense any. Apparently they expired during the cave-in. It's also possible that they may be the cause of it."

Kikzaru scratched at a spot. He dug franctically, kicking dirt and dust around. Link squeezed by him before he could destroy the little pathway. Something snagged on Link's tunic. He looked back to free himself. A skeleton reached out for him.

"AAH!" Link shook free and pulled out his sword, ready to kill the monster. Kikazaru jiggled in muffled laughter as he shook the corpse. Iwazaru chuckled with him. Link grew flustered and sheathed his weapon. Kikazaru pulled his leg. Link looked back despite his instincts to just kick the white one.

"Wow, I never thought I would see anyone go through this place again."

Link stopped and looked around. But he saw no one. He then dug through his bag to find the Lens of Truth he got from Termina. Through it, he saw the skeleton change into a Sheikah spirit, transparent and with hollow eyes.

"The Admiral sent us into the forest to try and fight the demons. We've been guarding this place for days. The whole purpose was to track down the Gorons and the City, because the evil was advancing from there. The enemy had planned to manipulate the rock people to their means. To taint them. Something about them being the people of fire and their strong endurance. But for some reason, the Admiral's attention changed to the forest. He wanted us to guard the woods now. Why? I don't understand. I thought the Gorons were the threat! Why guard the meadows when we could stop the demons from advancing and taking away another race?

"One day, the Admiral gave us orders. The orders were to destory this tunnel. Abandon the Gorons and leave the region. Blow the path up and walk away. Everyone complied with no hesitation. Everyone but me. I could not stop wondering as to what the Admiral was thinking. Something was not right.

"Then I eavesdropped on something. I secretly heard the Admiral and his subordinates talking about the other passages. The water one and the entrance to the Kokiri camp. They planned on cutting them off, too. The news concerned me. Why were those two places so important? The water passage was barren and useless because the Zora people dammed their river to keep the evil from spreading, and the entrance to the forest was important to the Kokiri because it was the only passage accessible to anyone. It would be hazardous to destroy that!

"Then they day came for the Goron City passage to blow up. The soldiers had everything in place. I was sent in to make sure eveything was clear. But then one of our explosives detonated prematurely. It caused the tunnel to collapse in a chain reaction. I tried to run but the ceiling caved in above me. I was trapped in there. I was in pain from the rocks breaking bones and helpless to free myself. So I took my own life with a drugged dagger. And here I am now.

"I at first assumed my death was merely a product of unfavorable circumstance. But I sense something else was at play. Something malevolent. Saboutage perhaps? It echoes and oozes through these cracks like the lava in the mountain. I can feel it. It's not the darkness before you that you should fear. It's the evil within your own ranks that is most dangerous!"

All this information disturbed Link. It annoyed him as well. The Heaven Smile were a burden enough to deal with. Now Link has a ghost telling him the forest was part of some possible conspiracy. There was no way he could deal with that matter right now with everything else going on. But he knew the spirit's omens would be important soon.

Iwazaru questioned the ghost, "Who are you? And why are you telling us this?"

"My name is Ken. I telling you all this because someone needs to know my story. The alliance must be vigilant and open their eyes to this matter before something terrible happens."

Iwazaru went on, "How bad is the mountain? How much of the evil has taken it?"

The spirit moaned in a sorrowful tone, "The mountain is gone. The dark ones have taken over the whole region. No spot was left untouched."

Iwazaru lowered his head. "This is bad. We're in for another tight spot if this it true. But we shall overcome. We must overcome!"

"But heed me now, brave ones! If you plan to re-enter the City of Stone, you must be careful! Remember: it's not just the evil on the mountain you must worry about, but the Goron people themselves. The dark ones had plans for them. I don't know what happened to them. But the rock-eating creatures are not what they used to be. I remember I used to hear the echoes of laughter in this place before the cave-in. But it was the evil laughter. That was when I gave up hope."

At that moment, Link's head pounded. This time it was the fiery Darunia who reacted to the news.

"Brother! Please, let me handle this! These are my people he speaks of! I know what's going on! I must see them immediately!"

Link held his head and tried to calm down Darunia. He would transform into the Goron leader when he had the chance (and the space). Fury built itself in Darunia at all this news. But he still needed to hear what the ghost had to say.

The ghost went on, "There's an easier way to get out of here. I discovered a small fault straying a few degrees right off the former main path. It works like a bypass of sorts. It looks like it was made for redirecting traffic from some sort of obstruction but was blocked off when the tunnel was finished. I discovered it by accident when a front of warm air blew through a crack. But you still carry the risk of instability. If you're not careful, you could end up like me.

Iwazaru asked, "Anything else?"

The ghost sighed, "No...Now I simply request some peace. To rest. To _heal_."

The idea hit Link. He would give Ken the same post mortem treatment he gave all his other parted friends. He pulled out the Ocarina of Time and played the Song of Healing. The ghost glowed and radiated. The flash blinded Link. Then he appeared in a misty, open forest. He spotted Ken at the distant edge of the woods. He called out in the distance.

"Thank you, brave Hylian. Now I can rest. I think that's what we all need in the end. To heal. I think the land needs to heal. The people need to heal. Our souls need to heal. Maybe the Gorons can be healed as well. If that's the case, then I guess that makes you a healer. Good-bye healer, and good luck on your journey."

The vision vanished. Darunia summoned Link back to reality. They were in the dark. But he heard Kikazaru poking at Ken's skeleton. Iwazaru spoke up, "What now, hero?"

Darunia said, "I know the place the spirit spoke of. I remember my grandfather telling me about it when I was young. Just keep going forward a little more."

Link followed Darunia's words and kept crawling through nooks and cracks. It took a while. The passage itself was originally over a mile long. Had it not been for Darunia's keen sense of the rock around them, Link would probably be lost. But according to the Goron, they were reaching the halfway point. The bypass was only a few meters away now. Link weaved around rocks and climbed over more rubble. Then he noticed the air blew warmer. The dirt was moist. They were getting close. Link followed the breeze to a small opening. There Link could smell steam. He carefully placed a bomb there and covered himself. The blast blew the wall away and dropped some loose rocks, but he was happy nothing bigger happened.

Link entered the bypass. Water flooded the ground to ankle-deep. It was very warm. Apparently the bypass was connected to some sort of hot spring. Darunia corrected the hero, "This place is actually near the River. Small streams from the River flow through here. Because of it's vicinity near Death Mountain, vents from within cause the water to heat up. It was handy back when we mined in the tunnels before Dodongo's Cavern opened up nearly centuries ago. But the water eroded away at the rock, weakening the integrity. The spirit was not far from the mark. This place hasn't been used for years. You should let me handle things from here."

The hero nodded. He picked up the Ocarina once more and played the Bolero of Fire. Then he burst into a thousand particles. The particles spun around and formed into a large Goron with spiked hair and various tribal tattoos. The Shield of Sages grafted itself onto Darunia's left arm like some sort of guantlet. His weapon was the Megaton Hammer. He wore a utility belt where the rest of the items remained. Darunia of the Gorons.

The rock-man smiled, "It's good to be back."

Iwazaru and Kikazaru appeared. Kikazaru pressed himself up against a wall. Iwazaru spoke to Darunia.

"Golem, we're in a tight spot. Tight as a keystone! This place is weak and fragile. If you destroy one more wall, this place will fall. But you shall rot if you stay here any longer. The only strategy: Run like hell! Do what the Sheikah was supposed to do: blow this place and get away. We can have someone else clean it up later. I'm not sticking around for this one, though. If you die, you're on your own. I'll just wish you good luck and let fate take over. In the name of Harman!"

The two spirits vanished. Darunia rolled his head around. "Fine by me. I already know what I need to do." He took a moment to stretch his arms and legs. Then he rolled a small lap around the fault to guage the tread. He tossed around some pebbles but could still get some friction despite the present water. He then executed his plan into action.

The Goron got the friction going and let loose on the weak wall. His back chewed into rock and spat out dust. He detonated a bomb to really blow through. After that was a long, curved cavern encrusted with stalagtites and stalagmites. Darunia quickly navigated through the obstacles and rode the walls. Behind him, he heard the caves falling apart. An interior avalanche chased the Goron as he raced to get out of the passage. He picked up the speed and awaited the expected twists and turns as they came. He kept speeding faster and faster while the cave-in nearly caught up with him. He bounced off a few more walls until he felt smooth ground. There was a huge noise behind him. Then he lost ground.

"WHOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAA!"

BOING!

BOOOSH!

Darunia opened his eyes and rubbed his aching head. He turned around to look at the large, Goron-shaped dent he made in the wall. Then he surveyed his surroundings. His eyes widened in schick and terror. He knew he was out of the passage, but he did not recognize where he was now. He saw a huge cave that had been blown to bits. The smell of sulfur, blood, and death wreaked in the air. The walls matched the smells' origins. Huge chunks of walls and the upper floors had been blown off. Black burns charred the ground and blood stained the walls. Piles of rubble littered the ground. It looked like people were fighting a massive battle with nothing but bombs. The only familiar marks were faint traces of the murals on the walls. But it was what it was. Home. Goron City.


	19. Bomb

Chapter 17:

Bomb

"HELLOOOOOOOOO!... BROTHERS!"

Darunia called out to his Goron kind, but to no avail. His words just echoed out in the massive cave. The Goron rolled around the City to look for any survivors. He first made his way up the floors. The top floor had piles of debris when there was ground. The Goron skillfully maneuvered his way over to the main entrance, which he noticed was blocked by boulders. He let loose some bombs and stood by as the explosion cleared the entrance.

Upon briefly exiting, he checked the sky for the time. Apparently it was nightfall. Within the distance he heard the faint howling and screeching of monsters crawling around. He predicted he would have to deal with them soon. Then he heard something rolling. He listened carefully as to where it came from. _Inside!_

Darunia ran back inside and looked down to the second floor. A Goron rolled around the ring. It was darkened though, like it suffered from severe burns. Darunia dropped down. "Hey! Come back!" The charred one kept rolling around. "Brother! Stop! Don't you recognize me?"

"He-he-he-ha-ha-ha!"

Darunia froze. It was worse than he expected. When the evil took over Death Mountain, like Saria to the forest, he lost the ability to watch over or protect his brethren. The last visions he saw were the Gorons battling the Heaven Smile from the mountain tops. They were doing well until the Smiles somehow infiltrated the City and flanked them. After that, he feared for the worst. And apparently with good reason.

Darunia took out his hammer. He got into battle stance and waited for the Goron to roll by. It rolled faster towards him. Darunia kept steady. The he struck.

BOOOOOOM!

"AAAAAH!"

The blast knocked Darunnia back down to the bottom. The burning enemy followed. It finally showed itself. Its skin was not just charred but still burning. Claws grew out of its hands. Its eyes blazed gold and huge, fanged smile twisted its face. A Goron-Smile.

"Hehehehehahahahahahaha!"

Darunia stood back up with hammer in hand and shield in tow. The smile reved itself up into a ball and rolled around unpredictably. Darunia dodged its advances. But it just kept coming. Then he remembered the deku nuts. He tossed one down. The creature still rolled around. He kept throwing them more and wondered why they did not work. Link reminded him that the nuts only work to blind enemies and the smile hid its face pretty well.

Darunia grew frustrated and just charged at the beast. He swung them hammer at the foe some more. But every time he made contact, the smile detonated and knocked him backward. Darunia growled, _The spirit was right about fearing one's own ranks. I have no clue how to stop this thing!_

Link reminded Darunia that fire weapons are good for stopping explosive enemies. Darunia informed Link that he was out of bombs. Fire arrows or Din's Fire would not be enough stopping power for something of the smile's calibur. The rock man then matched the beast's smile with his own. He knew what to do.

Darunia rolled into a ball and charged at the Goron-smile. When the two clashed, Darunia used his force to knock the smile back during detonation. When it was down, Darunia took out a fire arrow and ate it. He then took some deep breaths. With one big heave, he concentrated his energy into his lungs. When Darunia reached his peak, he let loose a huge stream of fire from his mouth. The flames engulfed the smile. It writhed and flailed around as the heat caused itself to detonate five more times. It finally stopped struggling and fell to the ground.

Darunia's breath subsided and the fire died out. He fell to his knees and coughed heavily.

_Damned Dragon's Roar is murder on the pipes! Should've chugged some water before doing that!_

An image of Link appeared in Darunia's head. He stood there with bulged eyes and a dropped jaw. He pointed at Darunia in surprise. This pose essentially translated into "I DIDN'T KNOW YOU COULD DO THAT!"

_The Dragon's Roar is an ancient techinque passed down from Goron leader to Goron leader. We trained to master it by eating explosives, bombchu, and certain species of lizard. The test of mastering it requires us to devour the remains of massive dragons. I ate Volvagia's head after you defeated him to achieve the technique. Then you and the Princess turned back time. But when the Sages were forced to reawaken after Kun Lan and Ganondorf came along, I remembered what I had to do. Since Volvagia was not available, I ate a chunk of King Dodongo to attain it. It's a really powerful attack, but normally one needs protection before-hand like consuming aloe vera or drinking a fair amount of water. Or else the fire will burn your lungs out or make you spontaneously combust._

Link pointed out the Goron Gift shop always carried recovery potions. He need to restock on supplies anyway. _Good idea, brother._

Darunia left the burning Goron on the ground and rolled to the nearby shop. It was blocked by the usual broken rocks and wood. The warrior just punched through the hindrance and entered the shop. The place was a mess but there were some supplies. Darunia first got his hands on a red potion and chugged it down. Then he drank a green one for magic. He sighed in relief as his energy came back and his throat was alleviated.

"Man, this place is a bust."

Darunia turned around, ready for anything. Before him stood another spirit. He looked like a Hylian but had foreign, curved ears like the assassin leader. He was tall and pale, with ghostly blonde hair and white hollow eyes. He wore a black shirt that had the words "FIRE WOMAN" in red on it. He spoke in a raspy voice.

"Damn, you're huge! You're one of those people, right? The rock-men? You're one of the first ones I've seen that hasn't been tainted by the Smiles. But that's not saying much. Just got here yesterday."

Darunia stood and eyed the ghost. "Who are you? And what do you know of my people?" Iwazaru and Kikazaru appeared once again. The one bound in red quickly inquired as usual

"Travis Bell! What are you doing here?"

Travis smiled. "You don't know? The old man sent me."

Iwazaru hissed curiously, "What do you mean 'sent you'? What's going on?"

"I thought you knew. Ayane was supposed to help you. I figured she would explain everything."

"Yeah, we met her. And all she did was spout out nonsense as usual."

Travis gave a little chuckle. "Yeah, that sounds like her. She always was a crazy bitch. Her and her master."

Darunia firmly reminded Travis, "Answer the question, please. Where did you come from and why are you here?"

Travis stretched his scrawny arms out and scratched the back of his head.

"It's a complicated situation. But the story is, even though Kuni-boy is runnin' a muck and painting the town red (literally), the old man is secretly here, too, watching from the sidelines. But shit is getting tight, like you always say. This world and the assassins' world crashed into each other like missiles when the God Hand messed with that thing (whatever it is). And because of what the devil done did, they're kinda stuck together. You-know-who is trying to use Kun Lan's own folly to his advantage by clinging on to this world like a leech until he gets what he wants. Like a real killer, he's making strengths from weaknesses on both sides, not just the enemy's. What old man Smith wants? Simple, the return of his beloved killers and the restoration of peace.

"But this is the part where things get heavy. This is not the native land of the assassins. The Smith clan elder is not a god here. God-Hand-Man isn't either. But the Tri-thingy and his green-skinned wing-man give him home turf advantage in this game. Because of the situation, the geezer sent us out into the field as reinforcements so he can gain ground in this match. And from the looks of it-and you- we might just make it to half-time if we play our cards right."

Darunia was in a daze. He had no clue what to make of what the stranger just said. Iwazaru helped him out. "Sweet Harman, you speak in worse riddles than I do! But you're saying essentially is that Master Harman is in hiding and sent you guys out to help us on this little journey?"

"Eh, more or less. Some of us are here for that, others are here to watch. Some are benched and some get to play. You know how it goes. It just depends on the play and who's up for what."

"Eh-huh." Iwazaru spoke sardonically. "So are you gonna help us or what?"

Travis briskly nodded as he sat and propped his feet on the counter top.

"A massive battle occured here between the rock-men and the Heaven Smile. The rock men were doing good but the Heaven Smile somehow caught them from behind."

Darunia interrupted impatiently, "Yes, I am well-aware of that part. Tell me something I don't know."

"Easy there, Thing. I'm getting to it."

Darunia growled at the remark.

"The rock people had no choice but to flee after a month of battle. The Heaven Smile kept getting in and blowing shit up. It was like a mythical Baghdad of sorts. The ones who survived fled South. Either they hid in the cave a few miles away or were lucky enough to get off the mountain all together. That would have been pretty fuckin hard since the village below looks like old-school Hiroshima right now. So most of them might be in the cave. But those who didn't make it were tainted into the monsters they were trying to kill. Just like the one you offed a few minutes ago."

Darunia felt his heart being pulled. He did not know what to feel at that moment. The only two emotions that stayed constant were hope and fear, always tugging, always fighting.

"But they say there was a reason why Kun Lan aimed his Heaven Smile at the mountain first. There's a story about Kun getting a hold of a rock man that happened to be at the village he struck. He turned the rock man into a rock-smile with the God Hand. That rock-smile went and terrorized the village. It was special, though, because the rock people were capable of high tolerance for explosions. They eat bombs and dynamite like candy! True creatures of strength they are! Because of this trait, the rock-smile could detonate more than once. Supposedly, that first one self-detonated a good twenty times before finally going out. Talk about having some real rocks! Ever since then, Kun Lan has had his eyes the mountain folk for his army."

Darunia brooded heavily on this news. It took his last bit of strength in order to not break everything in the room. Link tried to calm him down with images how when he saved the Gorons from the Fire Temple the first time. It gave Darunia a little comfort. But the fact was, this was not like back then. Things were different now.

"Sucks to be your right now, eh, hero?" Travis poked. "But don't get down now. You still have to take on the champ!"

"Champ?" Iwazaru studied. "You mean..."

"That's right. The killer trapped all the way down in that house of fire and brimstone is none other than the champ himself. Greatest wrestler of all time: Mask de Smith.

"This will be a tough battle indeed." Iwazaru remarked. "The Masked One is a truly formidable foe!"

Darunia threw his fists down on the counter, breaking it in two. "Nothing shall stop me! Not these 'Heaven Smile'! Not Kun Lan! And certainly, not the Mask de Smith! I shall free the Fire Temple of evil and save my people!"

The Goron leader gathered supplies.

Travis jumped up. "Yeah! That's the spirit! Go give 'em hell, Iron Man!"

Iwazaru kept asking questions, "How many other remnant psyches are in this world?"

Travis broke out of his cheer. "Hmmm. I don't know. How many people has your master done in and tried to assimilate?"

The red gimp lowered his head. "Sweet Harman, I lost count."

"I can tell you for sure that you will encounter two more in the not-too-distant future. One is in the temple with the wrestler. The other lies on the other side of the mountain."

"Who are they?"

Travis gave a little chuckle as he backed out of the shop. "Wouldn't you like to know? One of them is a person the wrestler killed. The other you can kind out on your own if you don't know by now. But if you're so interested in enlightenment, go see them for yourself and fix this whole problem along the way!"

It was just the hero and the guardians again. Darunia was still hot with anger. Link chose to keep quiet. It was best not to arouse the Goron's fury. Just let it boil as motivation. When they were done in the shop, Darunia exited and looked to his old chamber. The door was shut. He grabbed the bottom of it and shoved it back up into place. His room was dark. He fumbled around until he found a deku stick in his inventory and lit it up with a fire arrow.

The whole chamber was a mess. It looked as if the smiles got in but were cut off, so they just detonated. And it happened a hundred times. Almost everything was in ashes and rubble like the whole city. The sacred Goron totem statue that blocked the secret passage leading to the Crater was nothing but chunks of stone. But it still blocked the passage. Darunia moved some of the chunks out of the way to clear the path. Travis appeared once more, leaning on the wall next to the busy Goron and folding his arms.

"There's something else I needed to warn ya about, big guy. A lot of smiles managed to sneak in through that tunnel. And I mean a _lot_. It took some heroic efforts to shut off this place from the rest of this cave colony. It wasn't much of an effective escape plan for your friends, though, seeing how the smiles had a solid route down the hillside as well.  
Darunia paid attention to half of what Travis said. He was still focused on digging. Part of him shut off the remnant psyche because he did not feel the need to be reminded of the loss of his brothers. Another part of him hated himself for not protecting them more.

"The point is, I think Kuni-boy left ya a two-ton gift that kept on giving even though you weren't taking, if ya catch my drift. And I think that big thing is what chased your crew outta here."

Darunia stopped. He thought about it carefully. Link stepped in his head and reminded the Goron of the duplicator smiles. Darunia wondered where it was and how he would defeat it. But he was determined to defeat it as revenge for his people.

"You happen to be lucky, though. The factory lost interest in this place years ago when there was nothing left to kill. They just attack from the hills now. If you're careful, you could sneak in the fatal blow and it would never know what hit it."

Darunia contemplated and thought the strategy was actually a pretty good one. Despite his personal vendetta, he knew he had too much on his shoulders to take things slowly. He would just spread his campaign of veangeance across the mountain. Whether it was a quick death or a slow one, the demise of his enemies would each be a step towards victory and freedom.

Darunia rolled through the tunnel when he was done digging. Travis left the crew with a "Good luck and happy huntings, Rock-man! Make us all proud!" The Goron readied himself for whatever was at the other end of the passage. He finally reached it and took a moment for his eyes to absorb the drastic change.

Death Mountain Crater was in terrible shape. The lava boiled and lashed out with activity. Sticking out of the pit and in between the chunks of rock were huge, broken towers. Link projected his visions of the towers in Darunia's head. _I see, brother. It's because of the worlds overlapping. Reality is bending before us._

Darunia looked up in the sky and saw things flying around in the sky. They were not birds or bats. They were something else. Link played a flashback in Darunia's mind of Malon talking about flying demons crashing into the ranch. Iwazaru and Kikazaru moved past Darunia in observation.

"This place is riddled with smile. I can feel it. The heat of this mountain does not give us much protection against them. The aerial brigade above us are a flock of Broken Smiles. Apparently Kun Lan fixed them. So I guess that makes them Fixed Smiles now. Either way, they are looking for us. But that's not the problem we must worry about. Look out in the distance!"

Darunia got closer to the edge and squinted his eyes. Across the crater, he saw something massive grew on the wall of the main ledge. He then saw fourteen huge yellow spots on it. "The duplicator!"

The Goron looked for the bridge that lead towards the Fire Temple platform. It was gone. "Damnit!" He scrambled to look for some other way to get across. But there was no way.

"Golem, I think you should bring back the Hero. This looks like his kind of job."

Link agreed from within. Darunia growled. He hated there was nothing he could do at that point. But Link reminded him there would be more chances for him to help out. The Goron finally gave in. "Okay, I'll bring you back, brother. But as soon as we reach the temple, I wish to come back out. Link agreed.

Darunia took a deep breath. Then he did his signature pose for the element of fire. Suddenly, his body turned white and burst into a thousand glowing particles. They scattered for a moment, then reassembled into Link. This time, he appeared in his Goron Tunic to ward off the heat.

"Welcome back, hero."

Link immediately took out his longshot and aimed out into the distance, he managed to get a spot on a post of the other bridge that connected straight to the temple entrance. The shot stuck and jerked Link all the way to the platform.

The next thing Link did was get a closer look at the duplicator. It had grown all on the main ledge of the crater. Its head was in a niche in the wall. When it puked out an egg, tentacles would carry it up to the top of the ledge. The eggs hatched and would leave the crater via the entrance from the mountain top. The weak spots grew in a scattered pattern.

Link charged up some light arrows and took out the ones he could reach. Six others were obscured up on the upper edge. Link remembered the magic bean plant he grew. He stepped onto it and rode it up towards the other yellow pustules. He took each of them out with more light arrows. The last of the weak spots burst. The whole smile radiated beams of light. Suddenly, Link heard something dart towards him.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Link fell off the bean plant and plummeted towards the lava pits. He landed on a small pillar a few feet above the fire level. It was sinking though. Link looked around for a way off. He searched for the bullseye that was normally close by but it was broken. Kikazaru appeared and scratched a pillar nearby. Then Link remembered. He quickly took out the Ocarina and played the Scarecrow's Song. The Scarecrow popped up out of the ground. He started Kikazaru and knocked him off the platform. Kikazaru reappeared on the ledge of the temple entrace.

"Allo! Aren't we in a bit of a spot! Climb on up!"

Link shot the longshot again. It caught the Scarecrow's arm. Link flew up to the safer platform. "It's been a while since I've seen you, friend! I wondered what happened! For the longest time, all I saw were people dying and the demons who killed them. It made me sad. But then you came back and played my song! I can dance once again! It is kinda hot here. But it's a better spot than the village or the lake! Those spots are the pits now! All taken by the Smiling Ones!"

Link smiled as the scarecrow danced around on the spot. Iwazaru then appeared. "Hero! Watch out! The fixed ones are coming!" He pointed up to the sky where the flock of flying smiles charged for him.

The Scarecrow panicked "OH NO! NOT AGAIN!" and vanished into the ground.

Link saw another bullseye and grappled up to it. Some of the smiles crashed into the lava and blew up. But more smiles still flew for him. He ran into the entrance and dropped down into the hole. He grabbed onto the ladder. Ash and debris hit him as the echoes of laughter and explosions could be heard from above. He kept climbing down until he reached a safe distance to drop.

The hero stood in front of the Fire Temple now. Already, he had a bad feeling. He could practically smell the distortion of the dimensions. He and Darunia remembered the last time they entered the temple. It was literally a trial by fire. From getting pummeled with boulders, nearly falling into lava, getting set on fire by the flare dancers, to nearly being cremated by Volvagia. It was a little hell on its own. But it would be a different game now.

_Let's go, Brother. Before it's too late._


	20. Fire Temple

Chapter 18:

Fire Temple

Link arrived in what looked like the entrance to a large colossium. Paintings of creatures lined the ceiling and crowds of statues reached out towards the center path like they were cheering. Two streams of fire blazed the edges of the path. It led to a large, heavily decorated door. Link remembered the original door led to a chamber that also led to the boss chamber. But he knew not to expect what he remembered.

The door led to a huge room. It was round but had no ceiling. Lava boiled at the bottom and pillars stuck out of it. The whole room was like a guilded cage that revealed a lot of complex puzzles and wicked creatures. In the center was a huge, circular, platform that Link noticed strangely looked like some kind of fighting ring.

Darunia kicked in Link's head. _Remember our deal? I wanted to explore the temple!_ Link silently agreed to let the Goron come out to play. This was more his territory anyway. The hero pulled out the Ocarina and played the Bolero of Fire. His body blew into a thousand glowing particles again that formed into the Goron leader.

Iwazaru appeared with Kikazaru at his side. The white gimp crawled around curiously and studied things as the red gimp spouted out some advice.

"Golem, we're in a tight spot! Tight like clockwork! This place is the dungeon of the mysterious champion, Mask De Smith. Originally a masked wrestler that entertained people in the ring, he shed that life to better serve his country in the form of an assassin. He is incredibly strong and powerful. His muscle and specialty with demolitions made him a significant member of the Smith syndicate."

"A wrestler, eh?" Darunia studied the atmoshpere. "I gotta say the man's got taste."

Iwazaru held his finger over his gagged mouth.

"This dungeon revolves around the thoughts and memories of the Masked One. I sense his presence above us. He waits patiently for us to make our move. We must make haste. Our journey starts through that door."

Iwazaru points the to sliding door across the pit from them. Darunia hopped across the pillars and into the ring. Suddenly, bars shot up from the perimeter of the ring. Three stalfos dropped down from above with swords and shields ready. Darunia smirked and rolled his head around.

"Let's do this!"

Darunia rolled into a ball and bounced madly from corner to corner. He threw the undead warriors off their feet. He stood back up and swung out a series of punches. The Stalfos tried to fight back but the sheer strength of the Goron leader knocked them off their guard. Darunia simply laughed as he threw the Stalfos around with his strength and their own weapons. He finished the last of them with a crushing of a skull.

The bars dropped. The remains dissolved into ashes. Then a flash of light burst at the center of the room. A foreign man appeared, wearing strange, black, ninja attire neither Darunia nor Link saw before. He had blond hair and a bandana tied over his forehead. But they automatically decuced he was a remnant psyche and one of Iwazaru's friends. The man spoke in a foriegn accent Darunia could not recognize.

"Bonjour, Sage of Fire. Your timing is impecible."

Iwazaru appraoched the spirit. "Jean DePaul. So Travis was right after all. We would be meeting some useful old friends."

"It's been a long time, red one. A few years, actually, since that fateful day when the Masked One kinged me."

"So what do you have to tell us, Frenchie?"

"The dark one you know as Kun Lan has imprisoned the great Masked Marvel in this temple. But Mask has not fully submitted to his grasp. Deep within, the wrestler's spirit is fighting the malevolent forces bent on controlling him. To help the Mask overcome his battle, you must defeat his demonic self.

"To reach the tainted champion, you must endure the ring of trials. Each chamber reflects some of the greatest challenges the Masked One has fought. You must prove yourself worthy to reach the top of the chain. Defeat your opponents to get closer to your goal. Once you've done that, then you can finish the mission."

Darunia watched as monsters of all sorts crawled around. He also heard the faint cackling of Heaven Smile within the upper depths of the chambers. Guilded dinolfos and lizalfos hissed and shrieked out, clashing their weapons together at the sight of the new comers. More stalfos glared and shoved each other around in anticipation of who would fight Darunia next. He also saw more Wolf-smiles drooling at him. Then he saw a crowd of scrawny, scaly, Heaven Smile among the competitors.

"It's a shame, really." Jean went on, "He fought so hard to fend of the villains' advances. But they were too much for him. Now he's trapped. It seems like yesterday I was watching him on the telli, pulverizing other masked wrestlers in the fighting ring. He was my hero when I was a child. Now I have to help a weird guy in some strange world, as a ghost, in order to free the very childhood hero I worshipped. It's definitely something I did not see in my future."

"Enough of the sentiment, Frenchie." Iwazaru stopped him. "Just point us the way and we'll handle it from here."

Jean snapped his fingers and the next door lifted up. Darunia walked towards it. Then the ground shook. Lava spewed before him and a huge snake of flame burst forth from the pit. Darunia rolled back from the edge. The fiery snake shrieked a piercing roar that struck both him and Link within a massive flashback. A face lead the stream of fire with legs around in a sinister dance. It twisted with a smile and emitted fire from its throat.

"Volvagia!" Darunia gasped as he pulled out the megaton hammer. The massive dragon slithered around in the air and blew fire in Darunia's face. Darunia tried to reach for the head of the beast. But the creature flew up higher. Link reminded him of the ice arrows. Darunia took out the bow and tried to let one loose. But his aim was terrible.

"Damnit! I'm no good for that! Gotta get close!"

Volvagia spun around tightly high in the air, then its face shot down towards Darunia. The Goron held rolled away and positioned himself carefully. He predicted the dragon's movements methodically as his plan fell into action. Volvagia slithered around faster. Darunia tried to keep up. Then the dragon charged towards him and roared. Darunia leapt into the air and onto its neck. Volvagia shrieked and writhed around. Darunia then took a bunch of ice arrows and jabbed them into his foe's head, causing it to shriek even more. Volvagia slithered around rapidly towards the pit below, then Darunia jumped off before he lost his grip. He grabbed onto the edge of the ring while Volvagia brought more fire and brimstone down upon him.

The Goron finally pulled himself back onto the ring before Volvagia could ram him into the lava. He rolled to the center where the dragon floated above him in a ring. He remebered this trick to be the ring of fire move. He also would knock loose boulders and rock from above to try and crush the Goron. But Darunia was undaunted. He simply took out the megaton hammer once again and ducked for cover. When he got his chance, Volvagia broke the circle and advanced toawrds him. Darunia retaliated the attack by sending a massive swing upside Volvagia's head, wichi knocked the dragon across the room. It fell back down into the pits.

Iwazaru appeared, "Hurry, Golem, to the next chamber! We don't have time to mess around!"

Darunia rolled his eyes and went for the door. He leapt from pillar to pillar until he jumped into the room. The door fell shut behind him. Iwazaru and Kikazaru appeared to better observe their surroundings. Darunia took a moment to catch his breath. Gorons were good at rolling and combat, but never running.

Jean DePaul reappeared. "I meant to tell you, ami. Kun Lan took an interest in your old enemy and ressurected it with the God Hand. Now it's known as Volvagia-Smile If you stay in the ring for too long, it will arouse the smiling dragon's attention and try to destroy you. So do be swift and try not to drag out your fights. Or else you'll feel the fiery wrath from below once more."

"Why can I not just kill Volvagia and be done with it?" Darunia asked.

"Oh, you can slay the dragon if you wish, but you might want to divert your attention to the bottom of the pits."

Jean pointed to the lava. Darunia stood up and looked closely through the grated wall to see jagged clusters of smouldering rock lining the lower edges of the walls and the ring. Then the Goron realized what they were.

"Eggs!"

"Right you are. Kun Lan gave the smiling Volvagia another wicked power: the ability to reproduce on her own. And apparently _she_ has been a very busy little burning bee. You must watch out, though. For if you kill the mother, the eggs will begin to hatch and attack you in her place."

"This is insane!" Darunia remarked as he stared at the little dormant population not twenty feet below him. In all his knowledge, he had no idea Volvagia was capable of doing such things. However, this was Kun Lan they were talking about. His presence had driven a wedge in everything Darunia held dear and sacred. The terrorist also could tamper and warp everything Darunia knew or was familiar to.

"Another thing:" Jean went on "You must watch out when you trigger the switches to raise the ring. For the dragon has latched her eggs onto it. When the platform rises, it knocks them loose into the burning depths, causing them to hatch."

Iwazaru analyzed the situation. "Kikazaru and I count at least twelve eggs per cluster. And at least seven clusters lining the bottom. But some of them look damaged as if the eggs on them were already knocked loose. Why is only the mother coming out then?"

"Some of the eggs apparently are not ripe for the picking yet. Therefore, they might die if messed with. But there is no telling as to which ones are ready and which ones are not. You will just have to bite the bullet and find out the hard way."

"Of course." Iwazaru folded his arms. "Because it must always be the hard way for us. Harmnn forbid we just get to take a simple elevator ride to the top. Nooooooooo! We have to fight a hundred demons to reach the top _and_ take on the big cheese!"

"Indeed, I do not envy you for this task. But c'est la vie! It is what it is. If you are strong and enduring enough, then you shall survive. Defeat Mask de Smith, and you shall become a true warrior. I bid you all good luck."

With those words, the spirit known as Jean DePaul disappeared, leaving Darunia and the guiding gimps to the work at hand. Darunia observed his surroundings. Strange gears of all kinds surrounded him as well as other contraptions. But there was a door just ahead of him.

The next room was a large chamber where boulders fell from chutes in a certain formation as an obstacle. The switch sat on a platform in the distance, protected by a huge, club-wielding moblin. Darunia heard bars lock the door shut but was not daunted. He wielded his megaton hammer and marched on. Every boulder that got in his way he busted into pieces. One by one, pounded them all into the ground. Then he noticed a red one coming. A red one with glowing faces on it. And it laughed.

Iwazaru pointed out, "It's a Spinner Smile! Quickly! Shoot the gold face!"

Darunia reminded the psyche, "I'm no good with arrows, remember?"

"Then what do you plan to do?"

Darunia got closer. The smile rolled faster. Darunia coutned the four faces and paced himself. Then he held the hammer with both hands like a spear. Green. Green. Green. Gold!

SHTOOK!

The Goron stabbed the gold face with the spike at the top of the hammer. The force shoved it back a few inches and froze it in its tracks. Then the ball burst into ash. Darunia smiled. Iwazaru was stoic. "Well, I guess that's one way to kill them."

A small rock knocked Darunia in the head. He flinched and then growled. Iwazaru pointed upward. "Look!"

Darunia looked up towards the switch and saw Kikazaru there. He waved at the two on the ground. Then he pointed to his spot. Iwazaru called out, "Press the switch!" Kikazaru shook his head no and jumped on the platform. Iwazaru grabbed his head "What are you doing?" Darunia explained to the red one, "It's a Goron switch. He's too light to push it."

Darunia proceeded on with the task. Now only Spinner Smiles dropped from the holes. He repeated his winning method on all of them as he got closer towards his goal. Then he got within the massive moblin's striking distance. The giant brought his club down and sent a shockwave towards the Goron. A spinner smile rolled in its way. The force kicked up the demonic ball-bomb into the air, flying towards Darunia. Darunia rolled out of its way. He then rolled past the other shockwaves and smile thrown at him until he finally got behind the dog-faced warrior. Darunia punched its leg, bringing it down to its knees. He then climbed up the ladder behind him before the behemoth beast got back up. By that time, the remaining spinner smiles rolled after Darunia, and the moblin in their way. And the moblin was too busy fending them off to stop Darunia.

Darunia finally reached the top of the room where the switch resided. Kikazaru did a little victory dance for him. Darunia stood on top of the switch, rolled up into a ball, and jumped. His weight forced the switch down.

DOOOM!

Suddenly, there was a ticking noise. The door they entered unlocked below. Darunia stayed in his ball position and rolled off the edge of the platform. He bounced and dodged the spinner smiles rolling after him until the door opened. Before he knew it, he hit the risen cage of the ring.

When the Goron stood back up the ring pillar slowly pushed upward like an elevator. A pair of Lizalfos carrying swords dropped into the ring. Darunia rolled around them, carefully avoided their swords and fire-breath while throwing some well-placed punches and kicks. Eventually, a hammer whack upside the reptiles' heads put them down for good. The ride up ended with the cage dropping back down and Darunia eyeing two doors with grate bridges leading to them.

Jean DePaul appeared again. "I see you've managed to beat the first level. But it wasn't that hard. That was simply a test of physical ability. Kun Lan foolishly underestimates the power of the warrior by not taking your presence seriously. He expected the mountain itself to swallow you up before you could even reach the temple itself. But so far, you have proven him wrong."

Iwazaru questioned the psyche "How would you know what the Dark One thinks?"

Jean looked upward. "Can you not hear it? His thoughts practically ooze out from the cracks of this little realm. They echo subliminally within the battlecries of your enemies."

The psyche walked up next to Darunia, who had silently brooded upon Jean's words and burned inside from the insults to his honor. He was determined to make Kun think twice about messing with him.

"To reach the switch and reach the next floor, you must be sharp as a tack, for a warrior's mind must be as sharp as his blade."

Darunia rolled his eyes because he was carrying a hammer and not a sword.

"Well, you get what I mean."

Iwazaru snickered discreetely. "Nice one, Frenchie."

"The next room reminds the warrior that not all fighters are the same. Sometimes it takes some unorthdox actions to defeat an enemy. But don't complicate things or else you will never achieve victory. If you truly understand these words, then you can simply walk through the chamber, activate the switch, and walk out the other door. But if you don't, then au revoir, Sage of Fire, for you will never leave this place alive."

Darunia took a deep breath. "I'm ready."

"For everyone's sake, I hope so." Jean remarked.

The Goron and his spirit companions walked through the door on the left.

The two doors led to a dual chamber where everything stood above a pit of fire. The obstacle reminded Darunia and Link of the room where a stream of fire chased the hero across metal grates. A variety of heaven smile from the lowers to spinner littered the walkable spots and waited for Darunia to come. Darunia took out the hammer and leapt across a gap and got to business.

Five smiles ran towards Darunia and four spinners followed. He swung his hammer at their heads, causing them to blow up or fall into the fire. The spinners he stabbed in the heads and turned to embers. Everything was going well as he expected.

Darunia reached the middle of the room where the switch was. There was a plaque at the foot of it. Darunia fought off a few more heaven smile before reading it. Five Goron symbols were carved into it. Day, night, scales, time, relfection. Under the symbols was a verse:

_Fire begins as a spark. Then an ember with smoke. It reaches its peak in a blaze of glory and consumes all it sees. Then it gradually shrivels and lowers itself until it is but an ember once more and dies with spark. You must go the way you came. Enter as a spark, leave as a spark. Balance is the key. Time is the path. The fire sees all._

Iwazaru eyed the sign. "What the hell does all that mean?"

Darunia rubbed his chin. "It's some kind of riddle."

"'Go the way you came'..." Darunia looked back towards the entrance. "That's impossible. It's locked."

Link told them to remember what Jean mentioned about the room. If they were swift enough, they could walk from one door, to the switch, and go out the other way. Before Darunia could really contemplate those words, he remembered the monsters that stood waiting for him. But he noticed they were not running after him. They simply waited.

Darunia got ready and charged. The first smile jumped out and he bashed its head off.

Suddenly

The lava and fire bowed back and Darunia sat back up. He was back at the beginning of the room, smiles and all. "Huh? What trickery is this?"

The smiles went after him again. He went on to defeat them all one more time and activate the switch. The other smiles waited once again. Darunia hit the first one again and froze in anticipation of the fire engulfing him again. But he was still there.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Darunia smcked away two more smiles. But the lava erupted and swallowed him.

"AAAAAAAAH!-- Huh?"

Darunia opened his eyes and found himself back at the beginning once more.

Iwazaru popped up next to him. "Seems to be some sort of trick."

"But what is it?" Darunia grumbled.

"You could do what Frenchie said and just walk through the whole thing."

Darunia looked at all the smiles. "You're kidding me."

"Wouldn't hurt to try."

Kikazaru strolled through the first obstacle. The smiles snapped into action and chased after him. The white gimp scurried as fast he could across the room. He touched the switch but could not move it because he was too light. but he still kept running. He managed to run all the way across the room without getting swallowed up by the fire. He even reached the other door. But he was stuck. He scratched at it frantically. Then all the smiles dog-piled on top of him.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Darunia and Iwazaru watched as the smoke cleared. The only sound was the rumbling of the lava.

POP!

Kikazaru reappeared in front of them like nothing happened. Darunia sat in contemplation about the whole thing. Then he remembered what Travis said about Kun Lan and the Gorons. He wanted the Gorons because they were durable. Because they could be used more than once. If that was the case, then there should be a chance that Darunia would walk away from something like that. Link mentally nodded in acknowledgement.

Darunia stood up and rubbed his hands together. "Okay! It's going down now!" He rolled down into a ball again and counted to himself. "One...Two...Three!"

Darunia darted towards the switch. The smiles did too. Darunia pounded on it in one bounce and sped onto the door. One running smile and two spinner smiles manage to hit him and bounce him around but he made it to the door.

Darunia sighed in relief. "That was easy. But why did the riddle have to be so weird?"

"Well," Iwazaru addressed his theories, "for one thing, these temples were warped to try to trap and destroy us, if you forgotten about that. But I think it also had something to do with the way of the warrior or some crazy shit like that. Some sort of 'more than one way' challenge. Who knows. We're having to fight a temple with a masked wrestler for a boss. Where's the logic in that?" Kikazaru nodded in wonder.

KSPLOOOSH!

"Uh-oh!"

The three heroes looked down to find more of Volvagia's spawn coming up to greet them. Darunia jumped into the ring and the cage shot back up. A bonfire shot up in the center of the ring. Then four flame dancers shot out of it and twirled around. Then they ran madly around the ring.

One of them knocked Darunia down and the others ran over him. Darunia retaliated by rolling counter-clockwise and knocking them all off course. He then followed Link's instructions and threw down some bombs. All of them fell over and reverted to their smaller forms that looked like little cannonballs head and feet. Daunia ran them all over as he rolled around the ring. The little men tried to reach the fire, but Darunia gave them no mercy. The last one met its fate literally in the Goron's clutches. Darunia smooshed the little imp into ash and smacked his hands clean. When the cage dropped, Darunia ran for the next door.

The chamber was nothing but darkness. It took Iwazaru guiding him to a torch. Darunia pulled out a fire arrow and lit it up. Suddenly, the ceiling dropped down. Darunia threw his hands up and stopped it from crushing him.

"GGRRRRR! DAMN!"

"Trap ceiling. They are the suck."

"Whaa..am I..suppossssed..to do now!"

"Simple." Jean chimed in as he manifested again, lying on the ground. "This is a test of endurance. You must endure the 'hero's burden'. The trick is that you must make your way across this chamber on that path while carrying your burden--" he pointed to narrow walkway that zig-zagged across a huge abyss to the door,--"and reach the other side in one piece."

"Oh perfect," Iwazaru chided, "another near-death experience for the rock-man."

"You must be careful, though. One false move and you'll either be crushed by the might of your burden, or fall to your DOOOOOOOOOM!" Jean had rolled off the edge and vanished into the darkness.

Darunia grunted as he steadily marched on. He made a steady pattern of weight-shifting movements to gradually advance out to the pathway. Left hand, left foot, right hand, right foot. Left hand, left foot, right hand, right foot. The Goron kept on and had made some progress until something else caused a problem for him. The torch burned out.

"Damn! What do I do now?"

"Hang on, golem. We'll get you fixed back up."

Kikazaru pulled out another fire arrow and scurried back to the burner to light it up again. The light showed the path once again. Darunia put one foot in front of the other and kept himself balanced with the weight distribution, but still sweated stones from the strain of carrying tons of rock and dealing with a growing fear of heights. Then he approached the end of the path.

Slip!

Darunia rolled and hit the exit. But the ceiling fell on his legs.

"AH DAMNIT!"

The Goron held the ceiling up with his feet and reached for the door. He touched it and the fire sigil reacted, causing it to open up. Darunia pushed up as much as possible to get a big gap, then slid out.

TOOOOOM!

Darunia then rolled into the center of the small room where the next switch waited. He bounced up and stomped on it. Suddenly, his vision shifted and the room moved real fast. Then he rolled off and avoided the trap the switch hid. The whole platform shot up and hit the ceiling, which would have probably killed him after using up most of his strength.

The three adventurers returned to the center platform once again with a leap into the ring. Twice as many baby Volvagia crept out from the fiery pits. The cage bars shot up again. Darunia looked around and waited anxiously for the next opponent. Then he diverted his attention to a hole that opened up in the middle of the floor.

"Huh?"

Iwazaru popped up. "That can't be good."

Kikazaru crawled through the bars and slithered to the hole.

"MRRRRRRRRRRRRFFFF!"

Kikazaru scattered to the edge of the ring. Following him was a hole flock of bats. Burning bats. Tens upon tens of the flying rats blazed around the gilded cage. Darunia shielded himself as they swarmed towards him.

FLASH!

"Gaah!"

Darunia's vision went white. Then he heard deep, maniacal laughter. When Darunia regained eyesight, a huge, burning, smiling phantom loomed over him with a long, flaming scythe.

"GRAAAAAAAAH!"

"SHTOK!"

"GRR!"

Darunia stopped the burning scythe with his two hands; but the blade grew hotter by the minute. Darunia panicked and flung the blade away. He rolled around the little arena to keep moving and let his hands recover. The bats kept hitting him as he moved. They were starting to really pack a wallop when they flew into him in drones.

Link interrupted his train of thought. He flashed images of gomess, the dark phantom he confronted in the Stone Tower Temple back in Termina. The monster Darunia was fighting was apparently a tainted version of that creature. Link insisted Darunia give him control because the gomess-smile, burning bats, and baby Volvagia hovering about will take him down if he is too slow. It takes a quick hand to defeat the creatures and Darunia had already sustained a lot of damage. Darunia swatted at some of the bats and avoided a stream of fire from the little dragons. He thought he could take them all on, but then the Gomess-smile slashed at his stomach.

"AAAH!"

Darunia covered his wound and glared at the wicked apparition.

"You bastard!"

Darunia ran right for the gomess and grabbed ahold of its neck. "I'll teach you to mess with a Goron!" Darunia punched the ghost's face many times just to break his smile to pieces. But the spirit kept on healing and laughing.

Darunia grew hotter with anger, but noticed he was getting hotter beyond that. It felt like chunks of burning lava pelted his back. He turned around and the burning bats bombared him. Then the phantom was trying to envelop him in fire. The Goron struggled but only burned more. He finally gave in.

"Okay, brother, give 'em hell!"

Darunia closed his eyes. His body glowed white and burst into a thousand particles. The Gomess collapsed and hit the wall in confusion. Then light glowed in its body.

SPAAAAAAAAASH!

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Link burst out of the belly of the beast with a light arrow. He shot more at the creature to weaken it and slashed madly at it while trying to shield himself from the screeching, flying fireballs. The gomess summoned the little minions to aid him. Link shot simple arrows at the bats to kill them off, one by one, until only the pahntom and he fought in the ring.

The phantom twirled its scythe around and beckoned Link to him. Link prepared an arrow and charged it with light. It flew right into the chest of the ghost. It split in two but melted back together in an instant. Link tried another idea and revved up an ice arrow. The phantom flew right for him. The arrow hit the burning scythe and drowned the fire out. The gomess looked at it curiously. Link an arrow into the gut and the head of the creature. It fell to the ground and wallowed as a puddle of darkness.

Link took the chance and shot it with one more light arrow to blow it apart again. The gomess fell to pieces and exposed its weakness. Link jumped into the air and plunged his sword into it. Light burst from the core. The gomess cried out.

"WAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA!"

BOOOOOOOOOM!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

BOONK!

The explosion threw Link to the bars. Suddenly, the bars dropped. Link fell backward. His hand caught the edge. It took him a moment to regain his bearings. Then he heard that shreik.

"RRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWRRR!"

Link divert his attention below. Volvagia sprung out of the lava pits and slithered up to greet the hero. Link imediately pulled himself up and knocked his bow. Fire spewed behind him and knocked him down. Link rolled over to see the baby dragons had also taken an interest in him. The mother swooped down and showered the arena with flames. Link got up and regained his instincts.

Darunia interrupted Link _"Don't do it! You said it yourself that we should avoid fighting them because more would come! Besdies, I want to be the one that takes the head of Volvagia!" _Link agreed with the statement to a certain extent. He then counteracted by saying the offspring were already active regardless of killing Volvagia. He assured Darunia by promising him the last fight with Volvagia. But he still needed to get rid of the offspring before they could cremate him. _"All right then. But remember I want the head before we reach the top!"_

Link automatically had shot down four of the spawn during the conversation with the ice arrows. They had a profound effect on the lizards. When hit with one, the dragons would extinguish and fall to the ground. Link quickly dropped the bow and smashed the offspring with the megaton hammer. Lava-like puss oozed from the remains.

Volvagia was furious. Maternal rage sent her ramming into walls, causing boulders to drop. Link dodged the debris and kept killing the offspring. The mother dragon went right for him. Link dodged her fire and shot an arrow into her head. She fell near Link's feet. He swung the hammer and whacked her head. It flew across the room, taking the body with it. Then it all fell back down into the fire.

Link entered the next chamber when he was done getting rid of the all the active monsters. He took a moment to sit down and rest. He was covered in burns but still had some strength. His depleted his magic, though. He instantly pulled out a green potion and chugged it down to recuperate. He asked Darunia how his wounds were. _"Eh, nothing but a flesh wound. I'll live."_

Link took out the Ocarina and played the Bolero of Fire to summon Darunia again. Darunia stretched himself limber and got down to business. He went through the next few chambers with urgency and longing to reach the top. He jumped through obstacles, killed more smiles, avoided more fire pits, and pressed the switches. He fought moblins, armos, and more sword-wielding lizards. And they all fell to their knees in his presence.

Darunia stood in the center of the ring and looked up to the hole in the top. There was only one more floor between him and the big boss. But he had an old score to settle first. He walked to the edge of the platform and waited.

The Goron heard the rumbling of something stirring. But all the eggs were gone now. Link handled the last of them on the fourth floor. The ones that had not matured were the last to go. Apparently, Kun Lan expected to see the heroes dead by the third floor. Everything seemed easier after that.

Darunia still waited for the dragon to surface. Then he heard a hiss from behind. He rolled away to dodge another massive blast of fire. Darunia called out to the beast. "Come get some, you old bitch!"

Volvagia roared and circled the Goron. She shot fire from all angles. Darunia rolled into a ball and waited to for the she-creature to get close. He swung the hammer and bashed the dragon's head. She spat more fire at him.

"Shut up! You're nothing but a one-trick lizard!"

Darunia chased down the head and hit it again. The dragon faltered but flew higher to avoid the Goron.

"Is that the way how it is then, dragon? You're just going to cower away?"

Volvagia roared and hissed at the sage.

"Oh! So now we're angry? What's the matter? Mourning over your the loss of your children? Tough! You should've stared buried in the burning depths where you belong! Or did you forget the many comrades and ancestors of my people that you digested?!"

Volvagia shrieked in anger and charged or Darunia.

"Come on, you gods-forsaken fossil! Let's finish this!"

The two behemoths clashed with each other. The dragon made the place rain rock and the Goron smashed the rock to bits with his hammer. Volvagia blew fire. Darunia threw bombs. Volvagia rammed her head into the main platform to shake it, but Darunia stood steady. The dragon sent a wave of incendiary wrath. Darunia grew annoyed. "Your lousy fireworks lost my attention ages ago!" He spun around and then threw the megaton hammer. It twirled in the air and smacked the dragon in the head. Volvagia writhed around and fell to the ground. Darunia caught the hammer and stabbed another ice arrow into the dragon's skull. He finished the creature off with final blow with the hammer. She squirmed around in one last longing grasp of life before her body blew to bits. Her head flew in the air. Darunia jumped over the edge to catch it. He snagged a ledge and climbed back up. He caught his breath and held his trophy in the air.

"Vengeange is mine! And you are next, Kun Lan!"

Jean DePaul clapped behind him.

"Congratulations, mon freir. You have defeated all the foes placed before you. And you have conquered your old nemesis. You are almost ready for the final battle. There is only one more enemy you must take on before ascending to the battle of the Masked One."

"I'm ready."

"Very well."

Jean clapped his hands together. The ring began to descend at an alarming rate. Darunia stumbled and fell. Fifth floor, fourth, third, second, first, zero. He looked up at Jean. The psyche spoke two words and vanished as darkness swooped over eveything. "Bon fortune."

Darunia got to his feet in the dark. "Red! White! Where are you?"

"Right here." Iwazaru replied. "We're in a tight stop, golem. I sense a wicked presence here. A large one at that. But it's not just any monster. It's something very familiar."

"Of course I should be familiar." a big deep, raspy voice called out.

The two stared into the blackness. A pair of glowing eyes pierced the void. They were round but sinister.

"Or have you forgotten about me after all these years?"

Lava spewed out of vents in an epic fountain. It lit the cavern and revealed the host. It was a huge, demonic, Goron-smile. Darunia realized he was Largo, one of the Biggoron brothers. The Biggoron nearly took up the whole space. He had to sit to prevent himself from bumping into the walls. The evil carved a fiery smile in his face and illuminated him with bulbous pustules that encrusted his body.

"I have been waiting for you for so long, leader. This is where your journey ends!"

"Sweet fucking Harman!" Iwazaru exclaimed, "That thing is huge! How are we supposed to battle that?" Kikazaru ran around in terror and tried to climb back up. Darunia stared in horror at the demented creature that was once his personal smith and a good friend.

"Largo! The dark ones got to you, too? But how?"

"The same way they took the others. It was like a plague. A sickness. It started with one Goron, then it just kept spreading. I tried to fight it and save as many of our kin as possible; but, before I knew it, the evil within the mountain took me as well. But I'm surprised you know about all of this. You must have visited the city."

"Yes, I did, brother. I saw the dammage. And I hurt from it as well. I hurt for you all."

"_Hurt_? How would you know about _hurt_? How would you know about suffering? You weren't there! We struggled! We fought! We suffered! You hid in your little hole and left us on our own! We needed our leader! You weren't there!"

"I was too there!" Darunia retorted with melancholy, "I saw what was going on! I wanted to stop it! But we sages were trapped and forced to witness the suffering. We struggled on our own just trying to defend the temples!"

"LIES!" Largo bellowed, "If you were protecting the temples, then how did the dark one manage to plant his power in here? Much more, why did you let the evil get out?"

"I tried!" Darunia pleaded, "I fought it as much as I could! But I failed! The evil is not of this world! It was too powerful! I tried to call to you all and warn you, but I was swept up in the chaos!"

Largo just stared at the sorrowful Goron leader. Darunia panted as he held his hands in the air. Darunia depserately tried to comfort the giant. "But it's going to be fine now, brother! I'm here to make things right! Look! I've killed Volvagia! I've crushed her spawn! I killed the demons plaguing the crater! I can save the city! I can make things better!"

Largo scoffed at Darunia's efforts. "Can you bring back our dead friends? Can you repair our broken home? Can you turn back time? Can you heal my wounds?"

Darunia was silent. He fought with himself to find the words to give them both strength.

"It's been seven years since the massacre. Seven years, I waited for you to come back. Seven years, my hopes and dreams decayed as this plague took my body! Seven years, I sat and waited in this coffin of a cavern for someone to reach out to me! And nothing happened. All I saw was darkness and smiles! Now you come, and the only thing I want is revenge!"

Largo threw his fist down. Darunia rolled away. "Please, Largo, don't do this!"

"What are you waiting for, Cor Darunia? You want to save me! Then save me! Fix me! End my pain! Flush it all away!"

Darunia dodged more of Largo's attacks. His fists cracked the ground. Darunia kept rolling, but worried about what to do next. He had to defeat Largo to proceed on. But he did not want to harm his friend. Link mentally intervened. He remembered when Link played the Song of Healing to the Sheikah ghost. He showed Darunia scenes are all the other people he used it on. _"Do you really think that will work?"_ Link gave him a mental poke that translated to "It wouldn't hurt to try."

Darunia evaded more poundings from Largo and dug through his goods. He pulled out the Ocarina of Time. It was too small. "How am I supposed to play this?" Link remembered the spirit masks from Termina had the power to change the Ocarina into other instruments. He never tried to mainpulate the Ocarina to Sages' whims. Then again, th only two Sages that had been active during the journey were Saria and Darunia. And Saria specialized in playing the Ocarina. He told Darunia to focus on playing drums. Darunia followed Link's direction and concentrated carefully. Suddenly, the ocarina burst into a thousand particles and reformed into a six-piece bongo set reminiscent of Darmani's drums from Snowhead. But these had the Fire emblem engraved into them.

"Amazing!" Darunia studied the instruments in awe. Link snapped him back to action as Largo spat a fireball at the Sage. "Damn! Evil Largo is fierce!"

Link hurried and tried to teach Darunia the Song of Healing. But his visions were frantic. "Focus, brother!" Darunia commanded, "I don't understand what you're saying."

Link took a mental deep breath and calmed himself. He then directed Darunia to the memory of the Dealer teaching Link the song within the clock tower in Termina. Darunia studied carefully and practiced a few times while barely avoiding Largo's rampage. He shook Link off in a moment of frustration and called out to the guiding gimps.

"Red one! White one! Come! Give me aid!"

Iwazaru and Kikazaru ran around and covered their heads.

"What the hell are we supposed to do?"

"Distract him!"

"What?!"

Kikazaru jumped in the air and scampered to the Biggoron's feet. He climbed his way up the Goron's body and crawled on his face. Largo growled and tried to pull Kikazaru off him; but every time he grabbed ahold of Kikazaru, the white one would vanish a snap back onto the Goron's face.

Iwazaru scowled under his appendages and dug through Darunia's bag. He pulled out some bombchu and methodically activated them throughout the cave. "Take that, ya damned Kaiju!"

Darunia diverted his attention back to Link. They practiced together for a minute until Darunia finally got the whole song right. When he was ready, he turned around and played the song.

The notes echoed of the walls and hollows. The two gimps stood still to hear what was going on. The Largo froze. Darunia kept playing the song. Largo stared at the Goron leader. He lowered his hands and listened. The gimps got away before the giant could cause any more dammage.

"What...what is that song?"

Darunia kept playing.

"I've never heard anything like it. It's...so...peaceful. The pain...it's dying..."

The gimps appeared next to Darunia. "Is that your big trick? You're last resort? A song? A fucking drum solo?"

"Shut up!" Darunia hissed.

The trio watched has Largo's eyes flashed white. Then cracks ran up his face. They spread in veins down to his body.

CRASSHHH!

Kun Lan's spell shattered into a thousand pieces and faded away. Largo was his old self again. He sat there and smiled upon Darunia.

"All the pain and suffering inside is gone now. There is only peace. I can't believe I had so much hatred boiled up inside."

"We all have darkness inside of us, Largo." Darunia assured his friend. "Many people have let their inner demons out in these dark days. But it's time to take control of our lives again. We must not let the evil reign anymore."

"Yes, brother, you are right. We may have lost the battles of old. But the war is still being fought. Will you stand alone against the demons of darkness."

Darunia replied. "No, I will stand alongside my allies, my friends, and my brothers! And we all shall fight once again."

Largo nodded, "I look forward to it, Cor Darunia. The time for action dwindles near. We have to leave this place soon. But first, you must defeat the Masked One that wages war on himself. Set him free and you set us free as well."

Iwazaru gazed up into the tunnel they descended into. "How can we fight Mask if we can't even get out of here?"

Largo waved his hand, "Allow me, friends."

The large one sginaled his friends to step back onto the huge pillar. Largo ripped out some ground and grabbed the sides of the platform. He grunted for a moment but lifted the ring up a few feet. Largo explained as he pulled more and more. "I'm taking you to the very top where the fallen hero resides. After that, you're on your own."

Darunia waved, "Thank you, brother. I will see you on the outside soon! Once we meet again, we shall rally the tribe once again and beat the drums of war!"

Soon, the darkness passed and Darunia was back in the temple again. He took the slow rise to his advantage and replenished his strength with the potions. After that it was just a resting period. He held up Volvagia's head and contemplated the upcoming battle.

"So this Masked Smith, what's he like again?"

Iwazaru refeshed his memory. "He's an agile warrior that specializes in destruction from breaking things with his bare hands to blowing things up with his weapons. He was a man a chivalry and honor but who knows what he's like now that Kun got ahold of him."

"Isn't he human like the Hylians?"

"Yes, but he can fight like a Goron."

Darunia chuckled. "Now this I can't wait to see."


	21. The Mask

Chapter 19:

The Mask

Darunia, Iwazaru, and Kikzaru reached the top of the dungeon. The boss room was huge colloseum with empty pews and bright lights. They lit up the ring as the main attraction.

"So this is it, huh? Not bad." Iwazaru commented. Kikazaru nodded.

Darunia faced a dark corner. A pair of glowing, orange eyes penetrated the space. A spotlight flashed down. The figure stepped into it. He was over six feet tall and hidden under a cape. He tossed it aside to show his true form. He was a large unnatural built man encrusted with gold muscle. He wore a pair of blood red stretch pants and black, laced boots. Around his waist was a champion belt with a piercing beamos' eye on the buckle. On his head was a black wrestling mask with a long, blazing mowhawk sticking out of it. The wrestler's smile was twisted and wicked like the others. It looked as if Kun had grafted the mask to the man's face. The wrestler heald his hands in the air and summoned a pair of large hand-cannons. He twisted them around maniacally and struck a pose.

"No hay escape!"

-Smling, Legendary Wrestler: Mask-

Mask jumped into position. Darunia grabbed his hammer and they stared into each other's eyes with glares of determination. Mask stuck his weapons in holsters on his back. Darunia did the same. They both put their hands on the floor. Then they clashed. Mask grabbed Darunia, Darunia got his hands around Mask. It was a battle of strength and endurance. Who could budge who? Mask put up a real challenge for the Goron. Darunia had never encountered a human with such strength before. But he remembered this was all Kun Lan's doing.

Darunia felt himself gain the advantage. Mask strained harder to hold his own against the hero.

BSHZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

Darunia fell backwards. He glanced at his stomach and noticed a black burn. He instantly connected the laser wound to the belt Mask wore. _Shoulda seen that coming._

"HAAAAAAAAA!"

"Oh shit!"

Darunia rolled to the side and dodged the burly warrior. His foot cracked the ground but he took not time to catch up with the Goron. The warriors broke out into a series of punches and slaps. Darunia kept up his defenses and snuck in a few good hits. Then Mask caught Darunia off guard all together by throwing his hands on him and performing a suplex.

Darunia fell over and rubbed his head. "Damn, that hurt! This guy's good. Real good." Before Darunia knew it, Mask stood at the edge of the ring with his weapons aimed for him.

KABOOM!

CH-CHIK!

Darunia deflected the fireballs with his fist. They exploded upon contact and knocked Darunia off hs feet. His hands spasmed in pain. "AHHH DAMNIT!" Mask ran for him and Darunia recovered quick enough to evade a body slam. They went into another fit of punches.

Iwazaru materialized. "I told you he was tough."

"What am I supposed to do? He's a monster!"

"You still have to beat him!"

"I know that! But what's my strategy here? He's strong, he's fast, and shows no signs of weakness!"

"Mask always prided himself for his incredible skills. He has won many a tournament on his wits and sheer, brute strength. But his pride is always a bit of a weakness."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Think carefully."

Darunia noticed the champion belt with the eye in it. Darunia smiled and plotted carefully. He kicked Mask away for a moment and rummaged through his bag for a couple of bombs. He lit them up and shoved them right into Mask's abdomen.

BOOOOOOOOOM!

Both warriors flew backward now. Darunia chuckled. "How about them rocks!"

They got back up. Mask grew angry when he saw the beam belt destroyed. He took out his two canons and shot more fireballs at Darunia. Darunia kicked up his hammer and deflected the little rockets back at Mask. The demon wrestler staggered around and held his face. Kikzaru danced around behind him and pointed at something. Darunia gazed carefully and noticed what looked like stars on Mask's back.

Iwazaru darted up, "That's it! His weakness!"

"Huh?"

Mask spontaneously ran for Darunia and closelined him. Darunia fell to the floor. Mask jumped up, shot his cannons in the ground to gain air time, and body slammed Darunia.

"AAAAAGHH!"

Mask pinned the Goron down and laughed. Darunia felt his body get hotter. Then Mask's skin started glowing. Iwazaru panicked. "OH SHIT! HE'S GONNA BLOW!"

Darunia struggled as much as possible to get free but Mask was too strong. He laughed maniacally as he glowed brighter and brighter.

KABOOOOOOM!

"AAAAAAAAAAH!"

Darunia opened his eyes and saw Mask rolling over in pain with something sticking out of his back. Link interjected and pointed out it was the Longshot. Darunia then saw Kikazaru trying to pick up the hammer.

"His back is one of his weaknesses!" Iwazaru urged on. "Use it to your advantage! After he's down for the count, you must destroy the mask to reach the third-eye!"

Darunia ripped out the grapling gun. He picked up the hammer and brought it down on the enemy.

BOOOOM!

"GRAAAAAH!"

Mask writhed in agony. Darunia did it again and again. The third time, Mask rolled over an blew Darunia ten feet away with his weapons. The Goron got back up. "HA! YOU HAVE TO DO BETTER THAN THAT!"

"Oh shit!" Iwazaru cowered, "You shouldn't have done that!"

"Why?"

Mask charged his launchers. Shocks of lightning bolts flickered all around him.

"KABBOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!"

Darunia was knocked back all the way to the edge of the ring. He spasmed and twitched as a bulbous dose of electricity circulated through him. Mask pinned him and repeatedly punched his face. Darunia was too dazed to feel the pain at the moment but gradually synchronized back into reality. Then he felt the pain.

Darunia caught Mask's fists and held them tight. He retaliated with a fierce head-butt that knocked the wrestler three feet away. Darunia curled into a ball and revved himself up.

BOOOOOOOM!

Suddenly Darunia saw nothing but darkness. He also could not breathe. It felt like something sucked all the air out of the room. He unfurled and squirmed on the floor, gasping for air. Then random bursts of pain erupted in his system. He panicked and wondered what was going on.

The darnkess slowly dissipaited. Darunia felt himself being drug across the ground. He coughed the air back into his lungs and shifted around. Kikazaru pitched a fit and pointed behind him. Darunia looked back to see Mask pulling to the edge of the ring. He was going to throw the Goron down into the burning abyss below.

Darunia seized the moment and rolled back into a ball. Mask stumbled and let go of the golem. Darunia rolled back towards the center of the arena. Mask whipped out launchers and let lose a shower of dark and lightning spells. Iwazaru cried out, "Don't let them touch you!"

Darunia rolled around and dodged as many shots as possible. But they kept coming.

"That's gotta stop!" Darunia remarked. "But how?" Another bolt of lightning went straight for Darunia. Kikazaru intervened and took the hit for him. He wailed and jiggled in the air, then vanished.

Link projected images of Nayru's Love as a possible tactic as well as Din's Fire to push him away. He also mentioned arrows would be an ideal way to go if he wanted to hit Mask's weakness.

Mask charged after Darunia again with launchers ready to go. Darunia stood steady.

FLASH!

Mask stumbled and covered his eyes. Darunia wondered what was going on. He turned around and saw Kikazaru holding a handful of deku nuts. The white gimp kept throwing at them to stun Mask. Iawazaru urged on, "Hurry! Beat him!"

Darunia picked up his hammer and smacked Mask around with it. Mask shot fireballs aimlessly around the room. Darunia stepped away from him at the right times and just kept beating him. Eventually, Mask fell down. Darunia approached him and tried to pull the mask off. "What the hell is wrong with this thing? It's stuck!"

Mask regained some control and gripped Darunia's arm. "Oh no you don't!" Darunia punched Mask in the face. He kept wailing on the wrestler to try and break through to the third eye. Finally, Mask blew Darunia away again with his canons.

Darunia crash-landed a few feet away. He surveyed the dammage he did to Mask's face. Pieces of it chipped off to reveal flesh under the right eye-hole. Iwazaru exclaimed "It's working! Keep wearing it down!"

Kikazaru kept throwing more deku nuts. Mask closed his eyes and swung his fists around. Darunia picked up some bombchu and let them loose. The sounds confused Mask and made him more aggressive. He shot more fireballs everywhere in hopes of hitting the Goron. Darunia rolled around and knocked Mask down to instill another beating onto his face. More and more pieces of the mask came off. Kikazaru threw Darunia a bomb. Darunia detonated it in Mask's face for the finale.

Mask grew furious and threw Darunia off. When they saw his face, the third-eye was finally open. Mask let loose a whole array of firepower from his canons. The blasts sent Darunia off the edge and hanging for his life.

"SHIT!"

More deku nut flashed and flickered, but Mask covered his face. Darunia looked up to see the massive wrestler looming over him. He aimed his weapons right in the Goron's face. "Adios!"

Kikazaru jumped and latched himself onto Mask. Mask struggled to pull him off but the white one kept phasing in an out of transparency. Darunia climbed back up and wrestled the enemy down. Mask put up a fight every inch of the way. Kikazaru tossed Darunia an arrow. Link concentrated and charged the arrow with light for him. Darunia almost had the shot in the eye. But Mask punched him square in the face and oushed him away with his feet.

Darunia growled in frustration, "DAMNIT! DIE ALREADY!"

Mask laughed wickedly and reloaded his weapons. Darunia prepared to so some more rolling to dodge another wave of magic. Link stepped in with an idea to finally incapacitate him. He reminded Darunia of the Dragon's Roar he used back in Goron City.

_Are you sure? That took a lot out of me. I don't even know if it will work. Mask is pretty crafty._

Link directed Darunia's attention to Volvagia's head. He repeated Darunia's explaination of the Dragon's Roar. Darunia had eaten the remains of Volvagia the first time to achieve the technique.

_I don't know if I could walk away after something like that. It's like I told you. If a Goron is not careful when performing the Dragon's Roar, he risks cooking himself from the inside or out right combusting. And to take in so much power might do that to me._

Link assured him he still had a fairy just in case things went South.

_I guess we have no other choice then._

Kikazaru threw more deku nuts to stun Mask. The wrestler covered his face like  
Con would when the third-eye was revealed. Darunia picked up Volvagia's head. He examined it to find a piece he could break off without destroying the whole thing. Link poked at him to hurry and not be picky. Darunia finally decided on eating the tongue. He ripped it out of the head's mouth and ate it.

_Not exactly a delicacy. But here goes nothing..._

Darunia then ate three bombs, a bomchu, and finished it all off with a fire arrow. It brewed in his stomach, then the erruption came. Darunia's mouth blew open and spat out what looked like a minature supernova.

FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSHHHHH!

The explosion engulfed the whole arena and Mask along with it. He tried to fight it but nothing shielded him from the merciless reckoning of the Sage of Fire. The fire charred the mask off the assassin's face. He tumbled to the ground and dropped his weapons.

The fire within Darunia slowly dwindled down to simple burp. He fell to his knees and coughed up ash. He looked up and saw the fallen assassin in all his former glory. Darunia took a moment to gain his bearings and pulled out an arrow. He charged it with light and stood on his feet. He ran to the wrestler.

"AAAAAAAAAAH!"

SCHTOK!

The arrow pierced the thid-eye. Mask's eyes widened with shock. They glazed over as he stood on his knees. He threw his hands in the air in hopes a grabbing the faintest bit of strength. It was just like the way Con went. Veins of light sprouted and grew all over his body. Then he turned to dust.

Darunia picked up the canons of the fallen boss. "It's finally over...I DID IT!" The Goron coughed and rubbed his smoked throat. He threw his arms in the air in victory. Kikazaru danced around him in celebration. Their victory was cut short as the chamber shifted and warped. "What the hell?"

Link told him to not panic and stay still. The room fluctuated deeper and wider. Then everything faded to white.


	22. 3rd Floor

Chapter 20:

3rd Floor

Link, Darunia, and the Zarus found themselves in a red hallway. Darunia stared in wonder. "Where are we?"

Iwazaru stated, "We are on the third floor in the Tower of Harman. The third floor is the residing realm of Mask de Smith."

"Astounding."

A bright light flashed before them and Mask de Smith appeared in his human form. He was still tall but not as muscular. He wore a black-and-white mask over his face and a white, foreign suit similar to Garcian's outfit. He spoke in an accent Link considered similar to the Gerudos.

"Heroes, I thank you for releasing me from mi dark prison. Because of your efforts, the evil within the mountain is gone. You have done us all a great deed and have truly earned your place among legends."

Link smiled and scratched his head. Darunia nodded with a smug look on his face.

"To commemorate the return of the light to the mountain, I give you mi grenade launchers to return to the weapons case. Salud."

The Shield of Sages floated before them and transformed into Garcian's weapon case. It opened up and poured white light all over the walls. Mask approached the case with his arms in hand. He put them back in to symbolize peace returning to Death Mountain. the case closed and changed back into a shield once more.

"I also wish to congratulate you, amigo." Mask commended Darunia. "As I fought hard deep within myself for control, you fought valiantly against the evil possessing me. And for that, I shall reward you."

Mask slipped off his black-and-white mask. The face under it was of a thirty-year old man with blue eyes and some scars of what looked like a rough life as a youth. He held the mask in his hand.

"In my land, the receiving of a fellow luchadore's mask is considered a great honor and a sign of good luck. I want you to have this. I have worn it during many battles. But this is a new story in all our lives. Therefore, I think it is time for me to put on a new one. With this mask, I bestow onto you the strength of a thousand men and the force of my will. May you receive the warrior's blessing."

Darunia graciously took the mask and humbly nodded. "I thank you for this token of glory. You fought well, too. In these times of need, I shall gladly call you brother."

The two warriors shook hands.

"There is another problem that must be handled. Because you have destroyed the evil within the temple, Kun Lan has awakened a dark monster within the cave near the bottom of the mountain."

"Dodongo's Cavern?" Darunia's voice rose up. "Some of my brothers might be in there! I must warn them--"

"No, Guardian de Fuego, worry not. You are still wounded enough as it is from our last battle. I shall go and handle it. You all have enough work to do as it is. I shall help see to it that the remaining Gorons are returned safely to your home. But we must hurry."

Light engulfed everything once more. When Link regained sight, he stood with Mask in the crater near the exit at the summit. Mask reappeared wearing a red mask with flames on it.

"The next place you should visit is the village down below. It is catastrophic condition. But before you leave, there is a friend of mine I want you to see. She will help take care of your ailments. While you visit her, I shall visit the cavern and take care of the problem."

Link nodded in agreement. The two warriors walked out of the crater. The sun began to rise over a near-purged Death Mountain. Mask took in a deep breath of air.

"Ah, it's nice to get out and see such scenes. I've been pent up too long. This mission will make a fine warm-up. My friend is located there, by the way."

Mask pointed to a boulder blocking a Great Fairy's Fountain. "Hmmmm...I wonder how that got there."

"Sorry, that was my doing."

Link and Mask turned around. Largo sat up to meet them.

"I placed the rock there to keep the demons from getting in. A nice Fairy used to live in that cave. But then the Fairies started fading away years back. I still watched over it to see if she would return. Then the evil got to me and I buried myself into the mountain. But I also heard a rumor from some of the Hylian soldiers that something was possibly killing all the fairies. I didn't want to believe it at first. But the stories started to make me worry. If you need to enter the fountain, you're welcome to it. Perhaps the Fairy will be there."

Largo picked up the boulder and set it aside.

"If the Fairy is in there, tell her I said hello. It's about time I saw some old friends. Speaking of old friends, where is brother Darunia?"

Mask remembered Darunia returned to Link after they exited the Tower of Harman. He instantly made something up to keep the secret. "Senior Darunia has gone ahead and enter Dodongo's Cavern to find more survivors. He is carrying out his plans to rally the Gorons together as soon as possible. After that, they shall gather in the city to plan the next move."

"Very well then, I shall wait here for his orders!"

Mask nodded in respect. "I shall give him your regards when I meet with him. Link, I give you leave for now. Adios."

"Hey, I just noticed something." Largo caught Link's attention, "Where did the cave go? And why is there a door on it?"

Link looked where the cave was supposed to be. Largo was right. The entrance was not a cave. Instead, there was strange door present. Next to it was red lantern hanging off the mountain wall.

Iwazaru appeared. "No way! That can't be!"

Link looked at the red one. Kikazaru scratched at the door. Iwazaru shoved him aside and studied it.

"I guess it is. This must be what Travis meant."

Link stared at the two psyches in curiosity. Iwazaru turned around. "You're the master, hero. You must open it."

--

Mask dropped off the mountain cliffs and ran all the way towards Goron City. He heard cries of help from the lower trail and leaned over the edge to see what was going on. He saw two heaven smile closing in on a small Goron stuck in a corner.

"No! Go away!"

"Hehehahahahahahahaha!"

Mask's foot hit something. He looked down and saw a round, black thing growing in the ground. He remember the Gorons grew bomb-flowers as a specialty crop. He picked one up and threw it at the smiles.

BOOOOOOOOOM! KABBOOOOOBOOOOOM!

The smiles reaction cause the smiles to prematurely detonate. The little Goron shielded himself from the blast. Mask saw a huge pile of rubble blocking the entrance to the cavern.

"Muevete, hijo! Vamanos!"

The child looked up and saw a bomb-flower falling. He quickly rolled away before it hit the ground.

BOOOOOOOOM!

Rock and rubble flew everywhere. When the dust cleared, Mask dropped down to the entrance. The little Goron rolled up to Mask.

"Thanks, mister!"

"De nada, hijo. Why are you running around here? Esta no dangerous aqui?"

"I snuck out of the cave when no one was looking a while ago. I wanted to see the outside world again. I burrowed through the pile to get out."

"Hmmmm..." Mask rubbed his masked chin. "Vena conmigo, hijo. I need to get into the cave and tell the others it's safe to come out now. The last of the smiles are hiding deep within the cavern."

"Okay!"

Mask and the little Goron ran in the cave. They stopped within the main chamber. Mask observed the many beamos guarding the atrium.

"Es dangerous for you to go this alone."

The little Goron looked up at the masked man. "But how are you going to fight the demons when you don't have any bombs?"

"I don't need bombs to defeat the enemy."

Mask ran and jumped onto the center platform. He snuck up on the beamos and grabbed its head from behind. It struggled madly to get free and spun the head around to try and hit its attacker. In the process, it blasts all the other beamos in the room. When Mask was done, he ripped the head off of the last one. It exploded seconds later."

The little Goron child gazed in amazement. "WOW! That was awesome, mister!"

"Come, little one! We have no time to waste!"

Mask and the little Goron child explored the many halls and rooms of the cavern to find the survivors. Mask fought against stray smiles, armored lizards, and various dodongo. The little child spread the news to the fellow Gorons. They all immediately made their way back to the city. It was only a matter of time before they had reached all of the rooms and alerted all the people. Mask and the child finally reached the room before the boss chamber. Mask looked down to the little kid. The kid pointed to the door.

"That's it. That's where King Dodongo used to reside."

"You've been very helpful, pequeno. But this part is too dangerous for you. It's time for you to go."

"What about you? Will you be coming back?"

Mask smiled, "Of course! I've defeated many of these creatures before. This one is no different."

"So, I'll see you back at the City?"

"Si, pequeno. You will see me again. Can you get out of here on your own or do you need me to walk you out?"

"No, I'll be okay. It's not that far from the entrance."

"All right then. Oh hey-- What's your name?"

"Vermagnus Duma Darunia III. But all my brothers call me Duma for short. What's yours?"

"Smith. Mask de Smith."

Duma smiled and held something out in his hand.

"What is it?"

"It's a bomb bag. You use it to hold bombs. I restocked in some of the supply rooms. You might need it."

Mask accepted the gift. "Muchas gracias, Duma."

Duma nodded. He turned around and left the room.

Mask focused on the task ahead. The second monster resided within the next room. He contemplated on the little bomb bag.

"Duma might be right. These might come in handy after all if I am correct about the smile waiting for me. Only one way to find out..."

Mask stepped up to the door. It lifted up and slammed back down behind him. There was a huge hole in the center of the floor. Mask approached it. Rockets shot out of it. Mask jumped back. The rockets hit walls and blew up. _I knew it. Rocket Smile._

Mask took out some bombs and dropped them in the hole while dodging more rocket fire. Things were going well. It seemed like only a matter of time before the demon would fall. The creature dispensed around seven rockets bent on destroying the Smith. Smith knew to dodge them. Then he noticed some of them were not going through the hole. They kept hitting the floor. At first he chocked it up to bad aim. Then he realized the real plan.

BOOOOOOM!

CRASH!

The floor cave in. Mask rolled and landed on his feet. The rocket smile sent another wave and Mask running from it. He threw bombs out like they were grenades. And they inflicted a fair amount of damage. But then he had another problem to worry about. The bomb bag Dumah gave him only held up to ten bombs. And he was down to two. He went ahead and tossed the last two out. Upon evading another aerial attack, Mask noticed the bomb flowers growing at each cornern of the chamber and rejoiced. He picked them up as they grew and went on with his strategy to wear the demon down. Half of all the launchers embedded in the creature's body had been disabled. Mask needed to destroy them all to defeat it.

_This was a lot easier con mis armas._

The smile's projector's were all damaged. Mask was suceeding. He then grabbed one more bomb flower for the finishing blow. When the smile's body grew from the overload, the Smith ran behind it and boke it's neck. He quickly shoved the bomb in the creature's mouth.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The blast threw Mask against a wall. Dust and debris shot everywhere. The ash lingered. The Smith picked himself up and dusted himself off. He approached the spot where the rocket smile once stood. He kicked around the dirt in search of something. Then he noticed a faint glistening of metal. He dug the object out. A Soul Bullet.

"La victoria es la mia!"

The Smith put away the shell and surveyed his surroundings.

_Now I have to get out of here._

He picked up two more bombs and drop-kicked them up to the second floor. When they exploded, the knocked more of the floor down enough for him to climb back up. After that, he just walked his way back out of the cavern. Duma and three other Gorons stood to greet him.

Duma cheered, "Hi, Mask! For being a hero and helping us get back into the city, we're here to invite you to join our festivities as an honorary Goron brother!"

"Festivities?"

One of the other Gorons explained, "We're throwing a big 'welcome home' festival to celebrate our return as well the return of Cor Darunia!"

"You must join us!"

"Yeah, come hang, brother!"

"Very well then," Mask decided, "I shall come!"

"YAY!"


	23. The Bloody Fairy

Chapter 21:

The Bloody Fairy

Link and the Zarus were in a strange, dim room with green walls. There was nothing else in it but the trio. Kikazaru sniffed at the walls and floor. Iwazaru hovered around. "Oh, this brings back so many memories..."

Iwazaru went and stood in a corner as her reminisced about old times.

"The green room was the place where Master and the old man would meet. The old man was like a god to Master. He's always had something wise to say. But I never trusted him. Under that old geezer exterior were the burning remnants of a more traitorous man! And he had that crazy red-head broad with him. She was a real loon. A kind caretaker one moment, and a vicious succubus the next. At the flick of a switch, she would just go off!"

"You weren't exactly an angel either, bondage boy." a voice called out.

Iwazaru squeaked, "Oh shit!"

The green walls suddenly vanished. Link saw the usual fairy's fountain again except that the water had a red tint. He sensed something was not right and drew out his sword. He approached the fountain cautiously. Kikazaru and Iwazaru slowly followed the hero.

Link watched as droplets of the red water dripped upward from the fountain and combined together to form a figure. The figure became a solid woman with pale skin and long, red hair. She wore a skimpy, black-and-white outfit reminiscent of a maid but cut up to look more like the Great Fairies' wear. Violet eyes stared down at the three arrivals. She went on, "As a matter of fact, I remember your past to be far shadier than mine."

"Samantha." Iwazaru greeted.

"Red."

Link watched as the two subtly glared at each other. Samantha noticed Kikazaru slowly coming back into the scene. "Ah, I see you brought the quiet, white one, too. How adorable."

"What are you doing here, woman? No wait. Let me guess: the old man sent ya."

"Yes, Master has personally sent me to this world to aid you in your...quest."

Samantha stepped out of the pool with bare feet and moved closer to Link. He gripped his sword tighter and moved back a little. She put a hand on his cheek and studied.

"Not exactly into blondes. But you look strong. I could have some fun with you."

Link gritted his teeth.

"Ooooh, feisty! You can put the sword away already, He-Man. There is no death in this sanctuary. But I wouldn't mind going one-on-one with you if I had the chance."

Link was mildly flustered by her words. But he sheathed the sword once more. Iwazaru went on in his little inquisition. "So, the caretaker and consort of the decrepit one is now our guardian angel? What gives us this honor?"

"I told you. I am here to help our strapping, young hero in his quest to defeat Kun and the green man."

"Funny, I never pegged a red-haired, short-tempered, sexually frustrated twenty-year old with split-personality disorder to be an awe-inspring fairy."

"Yeah? And I bet Garcie and Legolas here never thought their trusted sidekicks would be a couple of bondage-strapped freaks lollygagging around and popping up every corner."

"But at least we're around all the time. And at least we don't randomly snap on someone then worship them the next, not to mention kill fairies in the process."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, fairy-killer!" Iwazaru accused her with a pointed finger, "They say some evil force was killing off the fairies. What do you have to say to that?"

"The Great Fairies that guard all the fountains and help protect this little world were dying out because of Kun. I admit to overpowering them a little to seize control of the situation. But they were on their last leg as it was. And order needed to be established."

"But what about all the people that needed the fairies? What about the soldiers that came crawlng here in dying need of assistance?"

"The Great Fairies would've denied them just as I would. They don't have the strength to care for an army, much less an entire nation. They could barely keep their own from dying as it was. But I'm surprised you would care so much about people, Iwazaru. Altruism is not a fitting trait for you."

"I don't care about them. But I do believe in doing your job. The soldiers might have failed in their task, but you sure as hell wasn't up to yours."

"Don't peg the blame on me. Master has only recently put me in charge. I can't be held responsible for the actions of the Fairies."

"Feh." Iwazaru folded his arms. "So where are all the fairies now?"

"Master has safely sealed the fairies away in a world branching off of this realm. He will return them when we are done with our mission. Until then, I am your Great Fairy of Wisdom."

"Oh yeah, like making a crazy bitch like you would be wise for any title of Wisdom. Last time I checked, it wasn't much of a wise choice for an old man to make chicks like you handlers of anything."

"Ah, but red one, you linger in the past." Samantha wagged her finger. "Things are different now. Very different. I remember I was quite the fire cracker. But that's what Master always loved about me. I was a lover _and_ a killer. They just never quite... mixed the right way. Then Master showed me the light and exposed me to great power. And for once in a very long time, I became whole again."

Samantha closed her hand into a tight fist.

"Your little Harman is an evil all on his own."

"Yes, he is. But his power is vast and infinite. And you would do best not to cross him."

Link watched the whole conversation from the side. Kikazaru crawled around Samantha's feet like a cat. Samantha eyed him from the side. "It is time to get back to the main agenda now." She snapped her fingers.

A light spontaneoulsy flashed on a wall a few feet away from the fountain pool. Link went to find out what it was. He noticed it was some sort of mirror that emitted white chaos within it. There was a strange dial to the right of it. It had twelve numbers on it. There was one to eleven; but the twelfth notch had a large red "B" marked on it. Samantha went to to explain.

"You may use this television to survey the events happening right now. Each channel shows the location and position of the assassins within Hyrule. Whenever you are in need or looking for anyone, it will keep you up to date...Go ahead...Touch it."

Link noticed the television was on the first channel. He flipped it to the Channel 2. There, he saw Garcian and Zelda strolling around in a big camp ground. Link looked closer at their surroundings and managed to deduce the two of them were currently stationed at Lon Lon Ranch. Various people passed them as they talked.

Link clicked the dial to Channel 3. He saw Con walking around the same camp grounds and Garcian and Zelda. Guards followed behind him. Eventually, he joined the two leaders in a brief chat. They all walked into the reconstructed home of Malon, Talon, and Ingo.

Channel 4 featured Mask de Smith enjoying the festivities with the Gorons as they celebrate their latest victory. Mask joined a rock-busting contest with a few of time. He made second-place. Then they made a breaking contest just for Mask to see his strength in action. He punched a few rocks, head-butted small boulders, and suplexed the largest. Everyone cheered him on.

Channel 5 showed a pale man lying in a coffin in a barely-lit room. Skulls and bones littered the area around him. Link blinked and titled his head in curiosity. Samantha leaned against the wall next to the television. "The assassins who are sleeping are the ones who have yet to save. You have four more to go."

Link nodded in acknowledgement and observed the scene. Apparently the pale one was trapped within the Shadow Temple. Iwazaru pointed at him.

"That's our next target. Ole four-eyes. He will be a tricky one indeed."

Link changed the channel again to six. He saw a young woman suspended under water. Her face was peaceful but her hand reached upward as if she tried to escape once before. Automatically, Link registered her prison to be the Water Temple.

Channel 7 featured the scene of a man hanging upside down in the middle of a sand-storm. Chains of all kinds wrapped around him to keep him in check He obviously was trapped within the Spirit Temple.

Channel 8 showed a man chained up and bound in what looked like a church setting. Link found it odd because he did not recognize much of it. He only deduced that, by default, he would be residing within Ganon's Castle. Samantha stuck her finger on the man.

"Ooooh, he's gonna be a real doozy."

Iwazaru rub his chin in agreement. "Ah yes, the infamous Hellion. They had to save him as the best for last. Or should I say worst?"

"He's a wicked bastard indeed."

Link flipped through the other channels. There was nothing but snow on until he hit Channel "B". Link stood back in shock. He watched a white butcher covered in green blood dissect what looked a skulltula. He had separated skull plate that scared off enemies from the body and opened it up with a lot of metal sticks holding things back.

Samantha shrugged him off, "Oh, that's the Doctor. He's here to help conduct research on the many native creatures that the God Hand infected. Hello, Doctor! How goes the research?"

The Doctor looked up from his experiment into the screen. He shook his head in mild disappointment.

"Oh well, there are still plenty of specimens left. Better luck next time...But that reminds me."

Samantha slipped a had into Link's bag. She skillfully took out the fairy in a bottle. Link tried to get it back. But she levitated and moved backwards. She held the bottle in her hands and eyed the little pixie inside.

"Now you see it..."

The fairy wavered like the static, then vanished.

"Now you don't!"

Link's eyes widened.

"All the remaining fairies in Hyrule are to be collected and sent to into the other world with the others for better preservation. I shall provide you with your healing needs instead."

Samantha went back to the television and changed the channel back to B. The Doctor had lost the skulltula and now worked on examining a red tekitite. He looked up to see what she wanted.

"I'm in need of some serum, please."

She held the empty bottle up for the Doctor to see. It flickered and vanished just like the fairy did. It reappeared in the Doctor's hand. He took it to a large, strange machine with two large tubes containing red liquid sticking out of the top of it. He turned the machine on. It whirred and filled the bottle with mysterious substance. When he was done, he teleported the bottle back into Samantha's hand.

"Sorry, we're out of the bubblegum flavor. Everyone wants bubblegum. Cherry is a little hard to swallow. But you're a big boy. You can take it."

Link looked at the product. It was a dark-red concoction that left a thick tint when swished against the glass. A sinister-looking red potion. He felt hesitant to drink it. But Samantha said she was supposed to help them out. He was not in that bad of shape. It was Darunia that needed it the most, so Link decided to let him drink it. If it was poisonous, Darunia had the best chance of survival.

Samantha went on, "And for your insurance..." A bunch of light particles flew together and formed a little doll that looked like her. She gave it to Link.

"When you have fallen, I will come to aid you. Stain me in the blood of my enemies, then get out of my way."

After a moment of intense eye contact, Samantha smiled and broke the silence.

"I have opened up all the fountains again, greater and lesser. If you need healing...or some...special attention," Samantha licked her lips. Iwazaru rolled his eyes, "just go the the nearest fountain and you will see me again. But I've given you all that you need for now. And you have a busy schedule ahead of you."

"So we've heard." Iwazaru remarked sarcastically.

"Be careful, hero. My Master Harman saved you from your doom because he believes you are the only one who can fix this problem. So don't get sloppy."

Iwazaru darted up, "Wait, what!"

Samantha looked back at him. "What? Are you really that surprised? Did you seriously not see that coming?"

"No one sent me that memo! I had a feeling but I didn't think he was that deep in this world!"

"Oh yes. My Master is watching everything that's happening. Even now, I can feel his presence among us."

"Then why can't _I_ feel it?" Iwazaru emphasized.

"Master has good reason not to trust you. If he had his way, he'd have kept you hidden from the start. But you serve Garcie, and Garcie needed to give our hero the power of the leader in order to fight the smiling ones. You and you're friend just happened to come with the package."

"Why was Garcian deemed unfit? Even more, why can't your _Master_ fix this mess himself?"

Samantha turned around and returned to the pool. "It's like you said, gimp. Everyone has their job and a role to play in this bigger game. Garcie's place is the one for this world. But sooner, or later, you will better understand."

She looked back at Link. "Catch ya later, hero." she blew him a kiss, and disintegrated.


	24. Face

Chapter 22:

Face

Garcian sat on a cott in the ranchers' tent-house with a wet rag stuck to his head. He shivered and sweated bullets at the same time. Zelda sat across from him. It was only three hours ago did she and five other men drag him inside after he collapsed upon seeing Con again. When he heard Garcian faint, Con had dropped his guard for one long enough moment for the Sheikah to detain him and his little friend. Guards watched over them in the old mill across the ranch.

Zelda put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure this is hard on you. I would be surprised, too, in your situation."

Garcian sighed, "It's definitely a shock to the system. But something tells me I should've seen that coming, especially with the past I have with Kun Lan."

Zelda asked,"What should we do with him?"

"Well, first of all, we need to know why he's here."

"I still plan to speak with both Con and Mido. But I might need you since Con refuses to tell my men anything. If you don't wish to see him so soon, I'll understand."

"No, I'll go. I have a feeling I'll have to sooner or later."

Garcian and Zelda got back on their feet and exited the house. They made their way to the mill. People greeted them as they passed by. Captains of various squads caught up with them and made requests for certain things or reported their daily observations. Zelda nodded and respectively declined to speak with them at the moment until she handled the matter at hand. Garcian waited for her when she stopped to hold off everyone. Eventually they reached the mill.

Masons and construction workers had managed to repair most of the old mill and trun it into a watchtower/jail of sorts. Guards watched the entrance inside and out. The first floor was a rusty, old reception area where a small, old man sat at a small desk and recorded things. The floor above was used as the temporary holding cells until the prisoners were probably dealt with someplace else.

"We're here to see the detainees ."

The receptionist gave a nod to another guard blocking entry to the upper level. He opened up the door for them. Garcian and Zelda marched up. Garcian felt his anxiety rise at each step. Then they reached the top. They had Mido sleeping on a pile of hay with a chain clamped to his leg. Next to him, Con was chained by every limb. His head shot up at the sound of footsteps. But Garcian kept silent.

"You can keep coming all you want! But I ain't saying shit!"

Zelda spoke disarmingly, "It's alright, Mr.Con. You're safe now."

"Then why am I still chained up? Huh? Is it the color of mah skin?"

"No, the guards stopped you because you escaped."

"Escaped? From what? I ain't no convict! I was a victim of police brutality!"

"Police brutality?"

"Yeah! My man, Mido here was protesting something about the ninja guys being there at the forest. Then shit hit the fan! Bombs were dropped! Gas was everywhere! People were screamin' and dyin' all over the place!"

"Actually, according to our sources, there were no casualties. The only force they used were deku nuts and sleep gas. It was supposed to be harmless."

"Well, that ain't what I saw!"

Garcian finally spouted out,"Con, how in the hell can you see anything?! You're blind!"

Con stopped at the sound of Garcian's voice. Garcian cringed inside for what he had just done. Con smirked. "I thought I heard two heartbeats...So, Garcie, what's happenin'? Been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Yeah...it has."

There was silence except for the business downstairs. Garcian broke it.

"I need to know what's going on. Where were you?"

"I already told you--"

"No, I mean from the beginning, where were you? When you got sent here."

"That's a long story, man."

"We have time."

"Then you also have the time to get me out of here."

"Possibly."

"Aw come on, Garcie! What the fuck? Can you not recognize your own friend? Your own teammate?"

"There are a lot of things I don't recognize right now. But two things I do recognize are you being here and Kun Lan breeding Heaven Smile everywhere else."

"Yeah, I know. Trust me."

"You do? How?"

"Get me out of here and we'll talk."

Garcian looked to Zelda. Zelda shrugged. "He's your friend."

Zelda had Con released. The three of them retreated to somewhere more private. Con munched on a hunk of bread he swiped off of someone. He explained his side of the story from the temple situation to the incident in the forest.

"So that's what went down?" Garcian rubbed his chin in contemplation.

Con replied with his mouth full, "Yep, pretty much."

"What did Mido mean be saying the Sheikah were traitors?" Zelda asked.

"I dunno. All I know is after he started yelling shit, the ninja-guys started goin' apeshit on everyone. I started fighting back because they were messin with Mido. And everything went to hell on a hand-grenade after that."

Zelda silently brooded. Con poked up at Garcian.

"Now you tell me. Where have _you_ been all this time?"

"It's a long story."

"If you have time to listen to me, then I've got time to listen to you."

Garcian first told his story from the assignment back in the assassin's world all the way to Link and him meeting Zelda.

"That's some crazy shit, man. I wouldn't have let them run me out of my own home. I would have picked up mah guns and been RATATATATATATATA!"

Garcian glared in mild annoyance as he looked toward Zelda. Con couldn't see the gesture but understood it nonetheless. He changed the subject.

"But what I don't get, Garcie, is why _I'm_ here."

"What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talkin' about...Me...the others...we were _gone_ for _ages_...I remember those times you used me for help...and all the memories from deep back in the day...But then at that school...the smiles...it's like we got cut off...disconnected...What happened, Garcie? We all lost ya...then _we_ got lost..."

"I'm sorry, Con." Garican put a shoulder, "a lot of things happened that night. And a lot of things happened after that. And I thought I'd never see you again. The past was too painful for me. And I thought I had moved on with my life. But then everything happened. And now we're here."

"Do you think...we might see the others?"

"I wouldn't put it behind us."

"What are we going to do then?"

"We wait and see what happens."

Zelda intervened, "We'll be waiting for Link, to be more precise."

"I wonder where he is. I never saw him leave the forest."

"We believe he is making his journey up into Death Mountain a few leagues east of here."

"Are we going to see him or what?"

"Generals Barok and Naji have sent teams out to try and survey the surroundings for any signs of Link. Once we find something, we will move deeper into our search."

"Ooooooooh."

Ando called out and spotted Zelda. He ran up to her and saluted swiftly.

"Commander, we are in need of your assistance!"

The other soldiers followed.

She sighed, "I suppose I can't hold off any longer with you."

Zelda truned around to face the two assassins once more.

"I've much work to do, right now. But you two sound like you're in need of some catching up. If you need me, just look for the crowd apparently."

Garcian was solemn. "Okay then. I'll see you later."

"Bye, lady!" Con waved his hands.

Zelda sheepishly laughed and shook her head as she looked at Garcian. He scratched his head in apprehension. Zelda whispered a brief "Good luck." before merging into the crowd.

Garcian looked at Con, who simply stared back at him.

"Sooooo, what do we do now?"

"I don't know." Garcian replied, "I've been spending the past forty-eight hours just trying to adjust to all of this."

"Me too. Well, sorta. I just been out for a few hours. I don't even know where I am right now. The ninja people never exactly filled me in on that."

"Come on, I'll show you around."

"Commander, the prisoner is awake now."

Zelda left the house that evening when she heard the new. A couple of guards followed her as she returned to the mill. The receptionist instantly granted her passage.

Zelda went upstairs and saw the Kokiri leader sitting at a side table and holding his head up. He still nodded in and out of consciousness. She mentally noted to chastise Naji later for letting his men use an excessive amount of the sleep gas on the Kokiri. They risked harming the children with such high doses.

Mido shot up after his head hit the table. He saw Zelda approach him and stumbled out of his chair. He scurried all the way to the wall.

"KEEP AWAY FROM ME, TRAITOR! DON'T YOU DARE COME CLOSE!"

Zelda looked down and regrettably remembered she wore Sheikah attire as her uniform. She ran and grabbed Mido. "Mido, stop! It's okay! You're safe!"

"HOW CAN I BE SAFE WITH YOU PEOPLE? YOU NEARLY KILLED MY FRIENDS!"

"Mido, enough!"

"NO I WON'T LET-- wait, how do you know my name?"

"Con told me!"

"Con? You mean the tall, blind kid?"

"Yes!"

A couple of guards came in. "Is there something wrong, Commander?"

"Everything is fine. There was just a misunderstanding. You may wait outside."

"Very well then." The guards left.

Zelda watched Mido eye her. "You don't have the red eyes like the others."

She stated, "I'm not a Sheikah."

"Then who are you?"

The two got back up and sat at the table.

"I am Zelda, Commander of the Hylian Resistance. The Sheikah soliders that brought you here were part of my army."

"Why?"

"The soldiers told me you and Con had caused the Kokiri to riot after yelling that the Sheikah were traitors for some reason. But I wish to know from you as to what happened."

"They came in the forest wanting to know where some guy was. I panicked when I saw them because of what they were. I tried to get my friends to attack them to make them go away. Then they gassed us."

"Why were you acting hostile to them? I had those men go into the woods to search for agents of mine sent to investigate the forest temple. They did not plan on visiting the forest where the children resided."

"Well, they were there. And if you are the leader of those Sheikan soldiers, then you should know the reason why I hold a grudge against them."

"The Sheikah soldiers serve the Resistance army but they are not my personal guard. I give them orders but I am not their leader."

"HA! Like I can believe that!"

"I am speaking the truth. The present Sheikah serve their own agenda. I can only maintain them so much."

"Then why have such hooligans in your little _army_?"

"That is just it, little leader. This army is not big enough. There is only so many people still surviving here. And with all the evil in the world and so few people to fight against it, you tend to make do with waht you have."

"Wait...what cause did you say your army is fighting for?" Mido mused himself in asking.

"The liberation of Hyrule from the tyranny of evil that has leached it of life."

"And how is that coming along?"

"You have your home back, don't you?"

Mido was silent.

"My people are working with the guardian sages to help free this world once more. The ones who cleared the forest temple were a sage and an agent of mine. Or do you not remember Link after seven years?"

Mido was still paralyzed.

"I remember Link mentioning you once. He said you were a bit on the tempermental side. I see that hasn't changed. But Kokiri children aren't exactly meant to change, are they?"

Mido spoke after another moment of silence. "What do you want from me?"

"I want to know why you do not like the Sheikah. What have they done to you or the forest that has earned your distrust?"

"What are you going to do about it?"

"Something constructive. That's for sure."

"Now I _really_ don't want to tell."

"Mido, the only forces of justice and purity that are protecting this land--and your forest--right now are Link, the Sages, and the Resistance. And it's not much. If you still want that protection, then help me. Help us. I know the Kokiri can barely hold themselves up now as it is, even with the forest cleaned out. "

They were silent again.

"Are the Sheikah here? Are they listening to me right now?"

"No, you're safe. Nothing and no one will harm you here."

Mido stared at her in determination.

"Okay, I'll tell."


	25. Mountain

Chapter 23:

Mountain

Link and the Zarus exited the fountain. Mild confusion disoriented him as he tried to process everything. He also sensed the Sages discussing the issues in their own little place. The main fact Link brooded on was that the one known as Harman was the one who saved him and sent him into the seven years future. The idea that there was someone who had that power amazed him, since the only time he ever witnessed time travelling outside of the Temple of Time was in Termina. And he still needed the Ocarina of Time to do so. But Harman could do it without any of those things.

The Sages deliberated within. Saria, Nabooru, and Ruto expressed reservations about the whole thing.

"I know we are dealing with a lot right now," Saria expressed, "and I know we need all the help we can get. But I can't help but question some of the things we've observed. It feels like there's more to this than what meets our eyes."

Ruto spoke up, "I agree. We just now found out the fairies had been sent to another dimension and this strange human woman has taken their place. We don't even know this woman, much less her 'master', Harman. And what of the two little companions that take Link places? What of the strange ghosts that they meet?"

Darunia held his hands up, "I admit, everything right now is strange. And it's all hard even for me to swallow. But they did help me save the mountain. Because of those two weirdos, my people are able to return to their homes. And they helped you save your people, Saria. Why do you worry when they have done so much good?"

"I am grateful that they helped us. I really am. But have you been listening to Iwazaru and those people? Assassins? Fallen ones? Battles? Killers? I can't help but feel concerned that there seems to be a lot that we don't know. Seriously, do we really know what we have gotten ourselves into?"

Impa voiced her side, "There are many shadows in Hyrule. Some hide nothing. Some hide demons. We are all in the dark when it comes to this war. And the strangers we meet seem to point the demons out for us. They are important to us for that, especially when our people and armies lack the luxury of knowledge and go blindly into these battles with no idea how to really stop what's going on."

Darunia went on, "Impa's right. Besides, I don't see how you can be so worried about this, Princess. The Zoras were lucky to get out of the Domain while they had the chance, not to mention, you were still in contact with your father. At least you could still call out to your people."

"That may be true. But that doesn't change the fact that there is only so much we can do and so much that we know. It's hard enough to watch all those survivors right now, Zora or not, still hiding in tents and holes. My people are at risk of dying out. I want to help them all as does my father. But I don't want to risk everything and throw caution in the wind based on a couple of experiences. It's just doesn't sound right."

"But we have Link to help us out." Darunia reminded her, "And he's helped us out before. Do you not trust him now?"

"No, I do trust Link. And I know he's helped us in the past. But Link is in the same position as we are. He doesn't know what's going on, either. He only has his own strength combined with ours through that foreigner's power, which, may I remind you, that we have yet to even truly comprehend."

"The Princess does have a point," Nabooru added to the group, "We don't know the full strength of the assassins or any of their friends. We only know our own power. And with that comes the factor of who is capable of what. Link is strong. And he defeated Ganondorf. But that's one solution to one problem. And what one solution is to one problem may not be the whole remedy for another. Besides, a rogue recognizes rogue work. And as a former one, I can say that something shady is going on."

Impa asked. "How go the talks on breaking the wall and reach out to the Resistance?"

Nabooru took a deep breath, "The same. My influence is still present with some of my sisters. However, the opposition still holds reservations for tearing down the wall out of fear of bringing more of the enemy into their territory. Supplies are dying and morale is decreasing simply from the lack of contact from the outside world, though. If this keeps up, they will have no choice but to reach out. But they will only do so as a last resort when they choose food over their pride."

"The soldiers still harbor ill will to them, though." Impa spoke with regret, "The Gerudo have good reason to feel concerned. You'd think with all the desperation, people would set aside their pride. But it seems pride is the only thing they keep when all else is gone."

"It's a shame indeed."

Rauru broke his silence, "There is still much trouble in the world. However, this is the path fate has dealt us. And with our mytserious allies, we shall walk this path and see where it takes us. These strangers have brought us much hope for us in guidance. If it brings more good tidings, then I see no harm in keeping to the path. If something is wrong, then we shall deal with trouble when it comes to surface. We must remember: Link is not alone. The Princess and the people are with him. And, most important, we are with him."

The six Sages humbly agreed.

"The approaching trial is now with Kakariko Village and the Shadow Temple. Impa, I believe this is your domain."

"Yes, I shall be guiding Link through this gauntlet. I plan to start immediately."

"Wait, not yet, Impa." Darunia held his hand up, "I still wish to speak to my people one more time before we go south."

Impa nodded, "I understand."

Link ended the little meeting by playing the Bolero of Fire once more. Darunia took form over Link's body, but still sustained a fair amount of dammage from the temple. He picked up the dark potion. He pulled the cork out and took in a whiff. It was a sharp scent like distilled bomb-juice that made him cringe.

"Well, here goes nothing."

Darunia downed the whole thing. He clenched his fists tight as the susbtance stung his throat. He swung his head around when a burning sensation kicked in. He rolled furiously around in circles until the taste faded away.

Link mentally poked him and wondered what it was like. Darunia croaked out, _Potent. Very...very...potent. It will grow on me after four or five more doses._

Link reminded Darunia that it normally took half the bottle for a proper dosage. Darunia burped up an _Oh well._

"Cor Darunia! You have returned!"

Darunia looked up and saw Largo standing over him.

"I knew you would come back, brother!"

"And it is good to see you safe, Largo."

"I hear the others rumbling within the city. You have given everyone a reason to celebrate."

"It is a victory we all share."

"But you are the one who saved us all."

"I am only as strong as my brothers."

Largo chuckled. "You never change, Darunia."

The two Gorons heard rumbling and explosions from below.

Largo spoke, "The others are enjoying their returned freedom. But it is your name they cheer. They need you now more than ever."

"Then I will go to them. But what about you?"

Largo looked out at the land. "I will sit here and guard the mountain like I always do. With this view, I can still see beyond the foot of the mountain."

The giant squinted. "What have we here? I see movement in the field."

Darunia moved toward the edge of the summit and squinted. Largo pointed out.

"Do you see it? There is something going on in the center of that big ring."

Link informed Darunia it was the ranch. He had killed all the smiles residing there. Apparently, people had finally settled in it.

"It's the resistance army!" Darunia exclaimed. "It has to be!"

"Resistance army?" Largo his head out to look closer, "You mean like those strange men that tried to kill the smiling ones?"

"Yes! They're active on the surface again! There's no time! I have to tell the others!"

"Tell them what?"

"That the reinforcements are coming!"

Darunia curled into a ball and rolled off the mountain top. He sped down the slopes and curved around towards the entrance. Before he knew it, he flew in the air and landed in the center of the bottom floor in a huge belly flop.

DOOOSH!

The city was silent and everyone looked at the leader. He got back up. Apprehension stilled the air. Then Darunia smiled and raised his arms in joy. Everyone cheered.

"DARUNIA!"

The whole crowd rumbled and overwhelmed Darunia in cheers. Darunia raised his hands in attention. He began his speech.

"Brothers! Let me be the first to welcome you back home!"

They cheered. "WELCOME BACK DARUNIA!"

The leader threw his fist up and calmed them back again to speak.

"It has been seven years since we have rolled here. Seven years! The enemy took our family, they took our friends, and they took the very ground beneath our feet! But we are free! It has been done! Now we will take it all back!"

"HAIL DARUNIA!"

"But hold, my brothers! There is much more to this than the justice of the Gorons as there is more to this world than our mountain!"

"REALLY? THERE IS?" one Goron called out. And everyone laughed.

"Yes, brother, there is. There are people out there that hurt like us. People out there that have lost families and homes! People out there that cry in aguish because the smiling ones took their land too!"

"WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO THEN?"

"I will tell you! We must reach out to them! We must unite and help our fellow creatures of vritue! Because this mountain is only one part of this world! And if we ever want to see a moment's worth of peace in this world then we must go beyond our own borders to defend those who are in need!"

They all yelled things out.

"What are you talking about?"

"Who are you talking about?"

"You mean the Hylians and the villagers?"

"No way! Why should we help them? They brought the evil to us! It's their fault we've had to hide all this time!"

"YEAH!"

"SILENCE!" Darunia bellowed. The Gorons stepped back in shock.

"It is talk like that which leads to turnoil. WORDS LIKE THAT LEAD TO DEATH! The enemy may have invaded us! But those are the thoughts that will lead to our doom! And such attitudes I will not tolerate. Not after I just fought for our freedom! I have seen what the world is like! I have seen what needs to be done! And we need to overcome our sorrow and set aside our pride to truly restore peace! We may have won this battle! But the war still wages on!"

"HE SPEAKS THE TRUTH!" Mask called out. All the Gorons looked at him.

"I have friends out there. A lot of them! And they need help! Other Gorons are also fighting alongside them in hopes of coming home one day! Will you deny them that chance?"

"Brother Mask is right!" Darunia agreed. "The only chance for those people to fight another day is to rally with them! We shall give them strength!"

"How? We don't even know where these friends are!"

"They are not too far away. We can get their attention. But in order for them to reach us, we must give them passage. And the only way to do that is to go through the village!"

"The village? That place is crawling with dark ones!"

"Yeah, that's too dangerous. We could possibly die!"

"Or worse, we could become one of them!"

"Yeah!"

"ENOUGH!" Darunia yelled. "It's the only way! We will not hide here forever! And they cannot reach us on their own! We must meet! We must unite! Besides, any inch of land on this mountain that may still shelter a demon is that much and more of a chance of the enemy seizing this mountain once more. AND I WILL NOT HAVE THAT! NOT WHEN I HAVE COME THIS FAR!"

Everyone cheered.

"Today is a new day! Today, we take back the mountain. From the peak to the foot, all shall come to arms and hunt down our oppressors! NO PRISONERS! NO MERCY!"

"NO MERCY!"

The words triggered a Goron riot. Everyone rolled around and gathered supplies. They scattered around in search of sharp rocks, stone slabs, bomb bags, and bomb flowers. They blew open the room of Bargo, the other Biggoron brother, and threw as many broken weapons for him to fix as possible. They were cleaning things, sharpening things, and tying things together. Mask helped Darunia prepare for the upcoming storm of the village. Darunia sent a few scoutts out to survey the landscape. Mask assisted in distributing arms to the others while the Goron leader formed organized platoons. The city was once again busy with life.

The time finally came. The whole Goron tribe stood on the mountain cliffs and gazed down upon the broken village of Karaiko. Mask stood next to Darunia and Duma as they breathed moment of silence and beheld the obstacle before them. Darunia shifted his attention to Duma.

"Duma, I need you to stay here and guard the city."

"Awww, you just came back not a few minutes ago! Why can't I come?"

"You're too young to face the front lines of war. And we do not know exactly what lies in front of us. I will need you and Largo to secure the mountain in case we need reinforcements."

Duma sighed but Darunia put a hand on his shoulder.

"I assure you, child. There is plenty of war to go around. A great deal of people will command your assistance. There is no need to ask for a battle."

Duma left the cliffs to go and take his place among the warriors standing by near the city. Darunia and Mask survey the soldiers riddled with zeal and anticipation. Then the leader threw his hammer-wielding fists in the air and cried out, "BROTHERS, CHARGE!"

The Gorons roared a battlecry and rolled off the cliffs. Mask ran with them and tried to his best not to get run over. The rumblings echoed throughout the mountain. Explosions protruded in them from the warriors destroying stray monsters in their path that managed to get over the baracade blocking the village. The first Gorons to reach the blockade dtopped only to await Darunia's order. Darunia pointed forward and cried, "DOWN WITH THE WALL!"

The Gorons blew the block up and poured into the dead zone. They unravelled into a three circle formations. The main circle eclosed Darunia and Mask in the center while the other two protected the demolitionists. They cooled their vigorous tempers with caution for the moment to scan the environment.

Kakariko Village was just like Hyrule Castle and the ranch. Everything had been tragically creamated. All of the houses had burned to the ground. Piles of ash, stone, and rubble littered the place. They stained everything either gray or black. The gray ground was riddled with craters and burns from explosions.

Link's memories flashed within Darunia and painted a picture of a happy little town with a big windmill, busy carpenters, and the lady who could not keep up with her cuccos. He also remembered the first time he was suspended in time, the market survivors had moved to Kakariko for refuge. When the Fire and Shadow Temples were attacked by Ganondorf the first time, at least the village was still in one piece. Darunia understood the pain around him, even though he did not ever visit the village.

KLAK-KLAK-klak!

The Gorons shifted their guard to the sound. The circle slowly revolved around in anticipation of the enemy.

THUD!

They shifted again to near the blocked entrance to the field.

KLASH!

And again.

KADOOSH!

A pile erupted and figures stood up from the debris. The Gorons threw bombs at the apparitions before they could get any closer.

BOOOOOOOM!

Scatter.

KSH-KSH-KSH-KSH-KSH-KSH-KSH!

"What was that?"

"More of them!"

The circles moved around again. Something flew in the air. Then some of the Gorons fell.

"GRAAAAAAAAAH!"

"What was that?"

"What's happening?"

Darunia looked down at one of the fallen comrades in his circle and turned him over. Within the shoulder of the fallen one was a blade that looked like a spearhead. He pulled the weapon otu and examined it. Link flashed an alert within. The blade was a kunai used by the Sheikah.

The sky rained more of the kunai. The Gorons curled up to shield themselves. Mask grunted in pain as three kunai sunk into his body. He pulled them out.

"They will have to do better than that!"

When the volley ended, the Gorons stood back up. Two of the circles regained fighting stance. Darunia saw only some of the third circle get back up.

"Brothers, pick yourselves up!"

"We can't! We're stuck!"

"I can't move!"

"Someone get this thing out mah head!"

Darunia stared in disbelief. Then he heard the moaning. Link instantly remebered those sounds. Re-dead. And just as he tried to warn Darunia, they started crawling out.

The first few re-dead came out from wreckage near the field entrance. Then more came from an obscured ditch Link remembered to be once a secret hole. Twelve of the undead creatures now tried to attack the Gorons. But Link remembered something from self-experience: re-dead cannot attack Gorons because they are too big. But then he relized what they really were doing. The zombies were just holding them down for the

BOOOOOOOM!

Another pile erupted and a bunch of heaven smile popped out. A bunch of what looked like Sheikah landed and ran for the Gorons. Upon further study, Darunia realized the smiling sickness took hold of them. Stalfos, skull bubbles, poes, gibdoes, more re-dead, and bats came out of the blue. Next thing they knew, the Goron army was overwhelmed by undead.

The circles eventually broke from all the mayhem. The monsters scattered the Gorons everywhere. The re-dead and gibdoes either tried to paralyze the Gorons or tackle them. The bats were tainted and would suicide-dive into the fighters while the stalfos tried to hack them into pieces. The Gorons had never seen poes before and ran away because they had no idea how to fight them. The flaiming skulls cursed the weapon-wielding warriors and forced them to roll around or use their hands. The heaven smile attacked everywhere in between.

Link flickered in Darunia's head with an idea. Link told Darunia that re-dead can be stopped by playing the Sun's Song. Darunia asked, _How does a song stop the undead?_ Link replied by explaining that the re-dead are weak against sunlight. Darunia had Mask cover him while he pulled out his drums. Link taught Darunia the song. Darunia played it and waited for a reaction. Nothing. Darunia played it again. Still nothing.

_Why is it not working?_

Link mentally manifested an image of himself being alarmed. He deduced Kun Lan has filled the place with so much of the God Hand's power that the song is useless. Link quickly switched the strategy to making Darunia and Mask first get rid of any of the re-dead and make sure the Gorons stayed mobile.

Darunia and Mask followed the strategy. Darunia called took the bag of a bomb keeper and told all the fighters attacked by re-dead to duck. He threw five bombs into the area.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The attacks disoriented the zombies but did not stop them. Mask came up from behind and punched one in the face. He suplexed a gibdoe and bashed two zombie skulls together. Gradually, helped free the Gorons. But then the heaven smile mixed in with the undead and detonated when they were close. The impact knocked Mask a few feet.

Darunia helped seize ground by running and swinging his hammer around into as many enemy faces he could see. He commanded all the Gorons to roll around and keep moving.

Everyone kept fighting. The Gorons struggled to keep their ground. More and more enemies crawled forth from the broken remains of the village. The Gorons were getting tired and running out of bombs. Even Mask grew weary of all the creatures.

"Hermano Darunia! We must do something fast!"

Darunia growled and took down five more stalfos. Mask was right. The Gorons were getting restless already. But they kept on fighting. Darunia debated on possibly sending up a signal to send more troops. Then he heard something.

BOOOOM! BOOOOM! BOOOM!

BOOOOOOOOOSH!

Hylian soldiers broke though and stormed the village. Sheikah ninja spun around and attacked the smiles. Armored Goron soldiers rolled in with spears. They all came pouring in and dominating the village. They immediately killed any monster insight with arrows, spears, and swords. Mask reached Darunia's side and watched the cavalry fill the ruins with their presence.

The leaders finally appeared. Darunia saw a Sheikah leader, a Hylian captain, and a Goron general. Link filled Darunia in that the Sheikah was Zelda, the captain was Ando, but the Goron general Darunia already knew was Barok. Then two other people came up behind them. One was a dark-skinned foreigner Darunia remembered in visions to be the leader of the sacred assassins. His companion was a pale, scrawny, young, foreign kid wearing a blindfold over his eyes. He ran around like he was looking for a fight.

Darunia approached the leaders with a fist in the air.

"Glory be to you, comrades! I was not expecting you so soon!"

Barok watched in awe as soldiers fought together to conquer the smiling menace. He then looked back to Darunia and his masked friend.

"What went on here?"


	26. Ghost

Chapter 24:

Ghost

Darunia stood with Zelda and Barok near what Link rembered to be the former location of the house of Skulltulla. They watched the both Goron and Hylian soldiers take down the last of the demons while the Sheikah scoutted the area.

Barok was the first to give greetings to Darunia. "It has been a while, brother. Too long."

Darunia smiled, "Well, now is a time for change."

Zelda explained, "We saw a massive energy burst coming from the mountain. We saw the same burst above the forest recently. So we came to investigate."

Darunia wondred what Zelda meant by energy burst. Then Link assumed the energy burst was caused by the dimensions correcting themselves at the mountain.

Barok inquired on. "What is going on? Why are the Gorons here? Why are you here?"

Darunia explained to them what happened. He said Link appeared and helped him defeat the evil in the Fire Temple. He did not mention how or that the demon was the possessed Mask de Smith. But he enlightened the two leaders on the attempt on Kakariko to try and reach them.

"I wish I had known all of this before." Zelda stated. "If you needed to reach us, the backway from the forest has been cleared. But since this place is a mess, I believe it is for the best. The Shadow Temple needs to be investigated anyway."

"Indeed. General Naji will be pleased to hear of this news." Barok stated has he watched all the Gorons yell victory cheers.

"How many have we lost in this war?" Barok remarked.

"I can tell you how many still live." Darunia spoke.

Barok was silent. He watched all of his Goron friends help the Resistance soldiers clean up the place.

"You should go help them." Zelda told Barok. "They are your people."

"Indeed, brother Barok, you stand so tall and stoic like a warrior. But where is your Goron spirit? You are reunited with family and friends now. Yet you still just stnad here."

Barok looked at Zelda and Darunia with apprehension. Zelda assured him, "It's alright. We have won the battle. Enjoy these moments of peace while they last."

"But-"

"It's okay. Go."

Barok hesitated at first. But the general heard a few of the other Gorons call out to him. He left Zelda and Darunia to aid them. Zelda spoke while they watched everyone move around.

"It's been quite a while, Princess."

"Indeed, it has." She nodded.

"Seven years that never quite happened. And before then, I remember your father, King Daphnes. He was a loyal brother to the end."

"Yes, he was a great man. If only he saw the destruction coming."

"None of us saw this coming. Link and we sensed the disturbances, but knew not what to make of them. By the time we realized what was going on, it was too late."

Silence between the both of them.

"I take it Link made it to the mountain."

"Yes," Darunia replied, "everything is going according to plan."

"Where is he now?"

"It is complicated. However, he and the Sages have made arrangements to join him in his journey."

"I understand."

"Do you now?" Darunia looked at her curiously.

"I don't know the exact details. But I am aware of the situation...I expected to see him, though. And Impa as well."

"Unfortunately, they are...busy at the moment."

"I know. However, I assumed they would stop to see the army. Knowing Link, he may be exhausted of supplies, if not just exhausted all together."

Link was fine physically, but the lack of supplies did catch his attention. He brought the issue up with Darunia.

"Yes, Link did mention the need to replenish himself. But we had no time. I assume he has already gone in to the graveyard with Impa to handle things. However, if you wish, I can take some supplies to him."

"That would be great." Zelda smiled.

Zelda lead Darunia to a bunch of scouts carrying weapons and medical supplies. Link informed Darunia of what all he needed. The Goron grabbed as many things as he could. He heard laughter from the crowd. He turned around and saw the foreigners.

Zelda spoke up, "It seems the Gorons are not the only ones having a reunion."

Darunia watched Mask pick the young one up and hold him over his head. The leader quietly stood next to them.

"Such strange people they are." Darunia remarked.

"It's the first time they've been together in a long time."

"I thought the assassins were a elite group."

"They are, or were. I'm still not quite sure what's going on. All he would tell me is that something terrible happened and they were separated for a long time.

"He?"

"The leader. Garcian."

A Sheikah soldier approached Zelda and spoke to her about something. Link flashed in alertness. He reminded Darunia about the dead Sheikah. Darunia looked for Zelda but she had left to handle things. Impa spontaneously stepped in.

_The issue with the Sheikah will have to wait. We must enter the Shadow Temple before the smiles return._

Darunia and Link humbly agreed. Darunia rolled past everyone into the gaveyard.

The graveyard was in shambles just like the village. The demons had destroyed some of the gravestones. Ivy and weeds grew over the remaining ones. Link remembered Dampe, the gravekeeper, and his little shed, which was now a pile of wood. The Shadow Temple awaited behind the still-intact Royal Family Tomb.

Darunia sighed, "Okay, you guys can take it from here."

Darunia burst into red dust that reformed into Link. Link walked deeper into the graveyard and instantly, three smiles and five poes surrounded him. Link carefully took each one of them out as he moved around. When they were gone, Iwazaru and Kikazaru appeared.

"Hero, we're in a tight spot. Tight like a coffin! Six feet under! Actual, twenty feet below and a hundred feet east."

Kikazaru scrambled around the graveyard and hoppped on occasion.

"Kika-kun feels it. The Heaven Smile are hiding underground. Some have died. But others are still clawing their way to freedom. The big family hides Big Daddy. Silence them before they return."

Kikazaru sniffed at the Royal Family Tomb, which Link noticed had a new tombstone on top of the hole. He approached it Two more poes appeared. Link remembered them to be the Composer Brothers, Sharp and Flat. The little, white gimp scurried away.

"GO AWAY!"

"LEAVE THIS PLACE OR DIE!"

Link fought them enough to make them recognize him. They dropped their lanterns and cowered away. Then another ghost appeared. It was a large, bald, grumbly man Link remembered to be Dampe, the gravekeeper.

"Eh? Who is it? Go away!"

Flat and Sharp reappeared. "It was a human!"

Dampe held up a torch. He looked up at Link.

"Huh? Green clothes?...Is that you, fairy boy?"

Iwazaru and Kikazaru snickered behind Link. Link rolled his eyes.

Dampe hovered closer. "Hey! It is you! What are you doing here, fairy boy? And where's you fairy?"

"I guess it flew away. Or did it get attacked by the smiling ones, too?"

Link was still silent.

"You always were a quiet one, fairy boy. But what are you doing here?"

Link pointed to the Royal Family Tomb.

"You don't wanna go in there, boy. It's too dangerous!"

"This is a matter of national security, pal." Iwazaru cracked. "We need to get in there."

"AAAAAAAAAAAH GHOST!" Dampe cried out.

Sharp and Flat chased after Iwazaru and Kikazaru. Link dropped his head annoyingly after remembering Dampe's two main weaknesses. He had terrible vision. And he was very susperstitious.

"What the fuck, man?" Iwazaru ranted, "Why does everyone gotta attack us?"

Kikazaru flailed around.

"What kind of ghosts are you guys anyway? Seriously! What ghost looks like a tacky-dressed terd and carries a damn lantern! They don't even have that in Japan!"

Sharp and Flat continued to harass the Zarus until they finally disappeared.

Link pulled out the Ocarina of Time and played Zelda's Lullaby.

"That's not gonna work." Dampe spoke flatly.

Link looked up at the hovering spirit.

"Seven years ago, this place fell under attack by the smiling monsters. They came out on nowhere from the mountain and the field. Everyone was running around in panic. But I put up a fight. A darn good fight. Then that little kid came here, the one that played here all the time. The demons were after him and he was looking for a place to hide. This is no place for a kid. I was afraid they would get me. But I was more afraid the monsters would take him. So I got my trusty shovel and fought them off. That battle turned into a last stand. And here I am.

"But you might be asking, "What does that have to do with the tomb?" Well, I'll tell ya. Before the attacks, I had the tombstone replaced to keep those bats and undead creatures from getting out. It's a special headstone that opens up mechanically and only stays open for five minutes. After that, it seals shut. Anyone that gets in can still get out as long as they have someone on the outside.

"One night, a bunch of those crafty, little, smiling demons carried something big into the graveyard. They found out the trick to the tombstone and opened it up. One by one, they all dropped down into it to do who-knows-what. But they took too long. The door shut. And they were trapped.

"For seven years, I've kept those demons down there. But none of them died out. Every night, I hear them laughing and blasting away at the walls and ground. I got a feeling this grave won't keep them prisoner any longer. If you want, I'll open the grave up. No one has ever really tried to go in there. But I'm up for anyone feeling lucky. But be careful.I'm shutting the grave behind you."

Dampe pressed something on the back of the grave. The tombstone slid back to reveal the hole. It was wider than it used to be. Link dropped into it and the Zarus followed.

Link remembered there were three rooms in the tomb. The first one was riddled with bones, the second one had the -redead and poisonous water, and the third was the room with the actual gaves.

The first room still had bones and bats in it but also the lesser smile Link knew came from duplicator smiles. With a few slashes and shots, they all fell until more smiles shuffled in.

The second chamber was full of re-dead and smiles wandering around. The walls were blown in from smiles self-destructing. pieces of dead bodies lay strewn about the ground. The only sense of order present was the churning, systematic procution of more heaven smile.

Impa rung in Link's head.

_Link, let me handle things from here._

Link consented and played the Nocturne of Shadow. His body burst into a thousand red particles that reassembled into a tall Sheikah woman with silver, pulled-back hair and red eyes. Impa of the Sheikah.

Impa stepped back from the dimly-lit room and merged into the shadows. From there, she shifted into a corner of the second chamber where she threw kunai at the smiles in the crowd. Some of them immediately disintegrated while others grew alert and exploded, taking out the undead and more smiles. Eventually, all that was left was the line of smiles coming from the third chamber.

Impa shifted to the celing of the tomb. She moved into the third chamber where the duplicator resided. Eleven yellow spots glowed light onto the wall and poisonous floor. The smile itself was a strange, green color, possibly from absorbing the tomb's vapors. She charged up some light arrows and threw them like her kunai into each of the spots.

KOOOOOOOSH!

The smile flashed and burst into dust.

Impa finished off ther rest of the Heaven Smile and retreated to the entrance. She leapt up into the hole and pounded on the tombstone. Nothing happened. She knocked harder. Still nothing. She lit a bomb and dropped it on the floor. Still nothing. She finally pulled out the ocarina and whistled a loud note. A moment later, the tombstone finally moved back and shed some light. Impa finally pulled herself out. The grave shut itself behind her.

Dampe and the other ghosts were gone. Impa heard the people in the village moving around. While it was still quiet, she chose to enter the temple. With one swift leap, she reached the obscured ledge and entered the cave.

The daylight pierced the darkness enough to display the center platform with the fire symbol on it. Impa stood on it and summoned Din's Fire. But nothing happened. Further inspection revealed that all of the torches had been broken and blood smeared over the opening spell on the floor. A painting of a pale man carrying throwing knives covered the door to the temple.

"That was quite a show there, lady."

Impa turned around and unsheathed her dual ninjato. Standing in a corner of the cave was a man in foreign attire similar to Garcian, but with a blue coat. He had facial features Impa had never seen before, except for the curved ears she grew accustomed to see. He carried a strange, red mask similar to the ones Mask de Smith wore.

Iwazaru and Kikazaru appeared.

"Well, well, well, if it ain't the old caretaker himself, Yoon-Hyun. What the hell are you doing here?"

Yoon-Hyun replied.

"That lair up ahead is a very dark place. Some say it's the gate to the underworld. The river Styx and all that shit. The Smith of the first floor resides deep in the bottom. To cross over to the land of the dead, you have to tip the ferryman. But this grim reaper doesn't except coins. Shoot the mask to hear more."

Impa cautiously flung a kunai at the red mask. It burst into dust and reformed on the man's face. He held up two middle fingers.

"So...the Smiths are back again. Always on a mission. They're nothing but fish out of water here. But I didn't think they would go so far as to recruit a new team. Another gang of fools you are, off on you're foolish adventure. Don't get so cocky, though. Lady Luck is a wicked bitch. One minute you're king of the castle, the next, you're the bottom of the food chain like the Smiths."

"Cut the crap, caretaker, and tell us how to get in there." Iwazaru prodded.

"You want in? I'll tell ya the secret. But it's going to cost ya."

Impa spoke, "What do you want?"

"Blood. Tasty, tasty blood. Only that will satisfy me."

Impa took off a glove and cut herself. The blood flew to the mask in drops and made it glow. When it was done, the mask spoke again.

"To open the door, greet the assassin like Three-Eyes did. That is the key."

With that, the masked Yoon-Hyun vanished.

Impa looked to the Zarus. "Who was that man?"

"Yoon-Hyun. A former informant of the assassins. A seller of information. Not exactly the most trustworthy of individuals. But useful nonetheless."

"What did he mean by 'greeting the assassin'?"

"I know what he meant."

"What do we do then?"

Iwazaru pointed on the door where Kikazaru scratched.

"Aim for the head."

Impa looked at the red one, then back to the door. She threw a kunai into the forehead of the assassin. The door burst into particles to reveal another door that parted in the middle. All three approached it. The doors separated to a large compartment.

"What trickery is this?" Impa wondered.

"This is no trickery. This is an elevator."

The trio stepped in and the doors came together again."


	27. Shadow Temple

Chapter 25:

Shadow Temple

Specks and slits of light slithered up the walls and Impa's body as the Sheikah warrior waited for the lift's descent to reach its end. Rusted, grated walls groaned in the dim and darkness, followed by the humming and churning of machinery. The massive metal meccas emitted steam into the air and slashed the chilling space with heat. The air grew thin as Impa dove deeper into the dungeon's domain.

DOOOOOOM!

EEEERRRRRRRKKK!

The lift shifted. Impa kept her cool but stayed alert.

SHHHHHRRRRRKK!

The elevator flinched again. Then it shot straight down. The Zarus were freaking out.

"HOLY SHIT!"

Kikazaru panicked and flailed his arms around.

Impa leapt up to the ceiling and merged with the shadows to slip out of the falling box. It fell to a silent demise in abyss. Bouncing from one wall to another, the Sheikah steadily slid down the shaft until she encountered her exit near the bottom. She swung into the the main chamber.

The whole dungeon was a warped amalgamation of a tower that descended deeper into the dimension. Twisted metal and machinery protruded from the walls and thrusted out smoke. Doors and switches stuck out or hid in alcoves. Mirrors bounced light everywhere. Gargoyles and other stone creatures silently screamed from nooks and crannies while broken angels loomed above it all.

Iwazaru and Kikazaru stood next to Impa. "Welcome to the House of Kevin."

"This Kevin has quite an imagination." Impa remarked while mentally assimilating how different this place was compared with the original temple of shadows. Different scene. Different madness. Different fear. Instead of taking on the impressing, dark wrath of her Sheikah ancestors, Impa would have to descend into the manifested insanity of a killer.

Iwazaru recited Kevin's background and history.

"Kevin is an enigma indeed. Before he became a Smith, he was a spy for the British government. For years, he spent his life infiltrating the deepest lairs and assassinating some of the world's deadliest terrorists. During our world's wars he would slip into the cracks of enemy territory and learn the secrets of his foes while taking out the leaders. The old man inducted him into the Smith Syndicate because of his skills in stealth and espionage. Upon his initiation into the Syndaicate, he gained the power of invisiblity. Four-eyes is also a master of knives and blades. He likes weapons of silence.

"Why do you call him four-eyes?" Impa asked.

"He wores glasses to compensate for his terrible eyesight. He despises light."

"That explains a lot."

"This place is mostly Kun's projection of Kevin's war-torn nightmares of pain and suffering with a hint of childhood anquish and possibly sexual confusion."

"Meaning?"

"Four-eyes has issues. And _you're_ going to have to deal with them."

Impa rolled her eyes. Then something shot out of the air. Impa readied her ninjato. The object landed at her feet.

Iwazaru yelled, "GRENADE!"

Impa jumped back and grabbed a lever.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Impa fell but landed on her feet.

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The ground rumbled below her. Then things fell. Impa looked down in the industrial death trap. The many platforms and contraptions shifted, contracted, and expanded until they all fell deeper into the darkness. The tower was now twice in length.

"Look what you did. Talk about a tight spot."

Impa sighed, "The mind of man is vast and infinite, only hindered by fear, ignorance, and death."

"The question is which one will you use to your advantage, red-eyes."

Impa was silent as she studied the obstacles before her. Link showed her how the whole scenario reminded him of the Stone Tower back in Ikana. Impa observed carefully and noticed a possible trick. At the very bottom was a narrow ledge that she deduced would take her to Kevin.

"The quickest path between two points." Impa stated.

Iwazaru twitched, "Between two points?

"Yes."

"A straight line."

"Exactly."

She jumped off the edge and dove right into the center. She fell closer and closer to her target. Then suddenly--

CRASSSSHH!

The sight of her landing shattered like a mirror into hundreds of pieces. Hundreds of arms and hands lashed out to grab her and drag her into the darkness.

Impa struggled hard as the hands tried to smother and tear her apart at the same time. She cut and hacked away at her oppressors and hard as possible, but more kept coming. Out of nowhere, she saw a light. It shrunk from the hands pulling at her. She fought harder to get closer to it. In the light, she saw Kikazaru banging on the surface of it like he was trapped in a jar. Then she realized he was banging for _her_ to get out.

Impa remembered something as she stabbed at the hands. Kevin was sensitive to light. And if he was the essence of this dark place, then everything else should be weak against it as well. She broke the head off an arrow and charged it with light. The hands drew back enough for her to launch herself towards Kikazaru's hole. She shot out and landed on the ground.

THUD!

Impa turned around. She had passed through a mirror mounted on an angled wall. The sounds of the hands followed suit. She empowered one more broken arrow and broke the glass. Fingers of the dark hands writhed from the shattered pieces.

Iwazaru spoke his signature words. "Talk about a tight spot."

Impa dusted herself off, "I should have seen that coming."

"Why did you do it then?"

"I did it to see if your Kevin is as skilled as you say he is."

"Foolish woman. Four-eyes is a master of the mind! His intellect and thought process are rivaled by only one other Smith in the syndicate. But out of the two, he is to be feared the most. With the blink of an eye, he could take your inner-most horrors, rip them out before you, piss on them, then place himself deep in that skull of yours to teach you true fear!"

"We shall see about that."

Impa looked down. There was no sign of any wreckage. It was just like before she jumped.

"A glamor, perhaps?"

"A dimensional guard dog." Iwazaru spoke. "The greatest fear man has is fear of the unknown. And he will use that fear against you."

Impa silently observed the dungeon more. She noticed the mirrors. Then Kikazaru scattered frantically down the tower until he reached a ledge with a mirror grafted to the wall. Impa approached the edge to get a better view. She saw the mirror. Then she saw a woman in the reflection, holding a hand out to Impa. Like the other normal-looking remnant psyches, she wore foreign attire. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she wore oval glasses. Suddenly, the woman started banging on the reflection's surface. Something grabbed her and drug her away.

"WATCH OUT!" Iwazaru cried.

Impa ran and jumped off.

CROOOOOSSH!

Impa landed on a machine nearby. She looked back and saw a huge, hulking creature with a smiling mask on his face and a massive axe in his hands. His muscles flexed and bulged with malice and hate.

"ERRRRRRRRRRR!"

The axeman swung his mighty weapon around and went after the Sheikah. Impa threw a couple of kunai at the brute. They stuck into his body but only made him more angry. He gave chase. Kikazaru tugged at Impa to remind her of the mirror. She gave up on the behemoth and ran to it. She looked at it find the woman and only saw her own relfection. "Where did she go?"

Kikazaru grabbed Impa's hand and put it up to the surface. The shadow emblem flashed. Walls shot up and enclosed around the sage and her companions. Veins cracked the glass and spread throughout the portal. "Down the rabbit hole!" Iwazaru echoed as darkness enveloped all three of them.

Flash!

In one blink, Impa saw the main chamber in her reflection. She turned around and found herself in an enitrely different hallway. Kikazaru ran onward down the corridor. Impa cautiously followed. Suddenly, the white one stopped frozen in a strange pose. She heard a shrieking and glowing eyes followed.

Iwazaru watched closely behind, "More of your undead friends?"

Impa merged into the shadows and crept behind the creeping Re-Dead. She grabbed the walking corpse and stabbed straight in the neck.

BOOOOOM!

The impact knocked Impa through a wall. She smacked the ground. She coughed and pushed herself back up. Then she saw movement in the dim space. A flicker of metal. A blade. More of them now.

Skitter-skitter-skitter-skitter-skitter-skitter-skitter-skitter-skitter-skitter.

Running.

Then silence.

Impa rolled away. Five short, scrawny, imp-like creatures lashed out with knives in hand. They wore bloodied, smiling masks that looked like tribal dragons. They scattered and ran towards her. Impa unsheathed her weapons and engaged the little demons. They frantically swung their blades around as they tried to overpower her. Impa took advantage of the deku nuts and scared them back enough to slide a well-timed blade into their ribs. They disintegrated into ash.

KAPOW! KAPOW! KAPOW! KAPOW!

Impa heard canon fire resonate off the walls. Impa saw flashing with the firing in another corridor. The shadow of a woman pierced the flashing. Impa instinctively followed.

The hall lead to another big room with rust and metal dulling the atmosphere. Blood stained the floor. Embers of torchlight revealed a taste of the evil lurking around. The woman stood in the center of the room and shot at three bigger, blade-happy enemies. They were bigger than the machete imps. They carried many knives like butchers. Their smiling masks were tribal with big eyes and teeth reminiscent of Gerudo lore.

"Go away!" The woman cried out as she kept shooting. "Why can't you just die!"

The butchers advanced closer. Impa ran and sent her knives into the head of one of them and the back of another. They turned around and diverted their attention to her. She kicked the third one out of the way and pulled the ninjato out of the first two butchers. They all swung cleavers and razors at her. She fought back with more deku nuts and careful hits to the head and chest. Eventually, she managed to break through their masks and still them for good. Like the others, they also disintegrated. The woman came out from the shadows. Kikazaru sniffed at her. She flinched and backed away.

"Julie Kisugi." Iwazaru called out. "What are you doing here?"

"Funny, I thought I would be the one asking that question." Julie spoke, "Just when I thought my killing soul was free from the world of assassins, here I am, frying pan to fire."

"So you're part of Harman's Helpers, too?"

"If that is what you call abduction these days, then I suppose so. One day, I'm enjoying a peaceful rest in Kyoto. The next, I'm in hell. At least I think this is hell. I figured either God was too slow or you Smiths had something to do with this."

Iwazaru reminded, "There is a price to everything, Kisugi. That is the golden rule of the assassin."

"Yeah? Well, then how about a refund? I didn't exactly sign up for this."

"Tell that to Fukushima."

"That old geezer had it coming to him. You and I both know it."

"Be that as it may, you are here now to help us stop the smiles. So tell us what you know."

"Not much. Your friends kind of kept me in the dark. No pun intended."

"Enlighten us."

Julie sighed, "The dark man has the pale one locked up in the very bottom of this hellhole. To get to the assassin, you have to walk through walls like the Smith could. You have to vanish from the eyes of judgement. You have to overcome your own darkness to take down his."

"How poetic." Iwazaru spoke.

"The monsters that you see are his rendition of longing and calling out to his friends. They are like dark reflections of sorts to the other assassins. The kinder in nature the original, the crueler the character. But they fight like the real deal."

"How did you get the gun?"

"I found it on the ground when I came here. And he knows I have it. It's the only security I have in this place. But it's not much."

"Sucks to be you."

"Fuck off! You don't know what it's like! I can't change from place to place or hide like you because the hands will get me. I can't stay in one spot or else the creatures will find me. I can't sleep or eat. I just run. There's no place safe here! Those creepy bastards are eveywhere and want to get the bloody little hands on anything with a pulse! They even attack each other! At least at Fukushima those creepy monsters were too slow and stupid to get to me!"

"That might work to our advantage." Iwazaru hovered and contemplated.

Impa spoke up. "Where do we go from here?"

Julia pointed to another hallway. "That way."

The group went forward. Julie followed behind. Iwazaru poked, "Where do you think you're going?"

"Did you not listen to what I just said? It's not safe to be alone in here! They'll kill us all! We have to stay together!"

"Fine! But if you hold us back, we're feeding you to the dogs!"

Impa, the Zarus, and Julie went onward down the hallway. Impa opened a gate door. The room behind it was a grated maze with blood and broken war machines entangled from above. The group walked through it carefully. Bones and metal littered the trail.

"Where does this place take us?" Impa asked.

"Towards the battlefield."

"Battlefield?"

"You'll see. But what we need to worry about now are more of those slashers."

"Sweenies?"

"The quick, small creatures with the blades. The bigger ones are rippers. They work together to catch prey. I ran through here once from the battlefield and they tried to ambush me. I barely escaped."

"How terrible. Poor child."

"Shut up!"

Impa walked on despite the bickering of her companions. Suddenly she saw something like a fairy fly towards her. Impa threw a kunai at it to kill it, then five more attacked her.

BOOOOOOSH!

White.

"What was that?!"

"Microsmiles! They blind prey for the bigger smiles to attack! Watch out!"

Impa heard creeping from the fenced walls. She turned around. It was a metallic sound that eventually became familiar to her. Kikazaru stopped and noticed it. Iwazaru and Julie stopped as well. Impa pulled her knives out and Julie aimed her gun. "What was that?"

The sound got louder.

SWOOOP! THUD!

Hands from above dropped down to try and seize the group. Wallmasters. Impa rolled away and threw a kunai into her attacker's knuckle. Iwazaru vanished to avoid the hands, but another wallmaster grabbed Iwazaru. Julie shot at one scurrying towards her. Kikazaru struggled to disappear like his cohort. But the hand monster hand a fierce grip on him.

BOOOOM!

The wallmaster and Kikazaru were gone. Impa killed her would-be dispatcher.

"FUCK! HELP!" Julia called out.

Impa charged another broken light arrow and threw it into the back of the gripping hand of death. It spread open in agony. One more good stab turned it into dust.

DOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Impa looked behind them and saw the huge axeman from before. He pulled out a massive cannon and blew the labyrinth walls apart.

Julie cried out, "RUN!"

Impa followed the swift Julie through the rest of the maze. The axeman stormed closer and closer to them. Julie located a large door. It opened up for the shadow sage and shut as soon as they exited the room. Impa and Julie took a moment to catch their breath.

"Wait. What about your friends? What happened to the red guy?"

"I'm right here."

Iwazaru reappeared. "What did you think I would do?"

"When I disappeared, the hands of darkness tried to take me away. How come you are still here?"

"Foolish woman." Iwazaru chastised, "I am bound to the power of Master. As long as the power of Master resides within the hero and Sages, I am untouchable."

"Then what happened to the white one?"

"Kikazaru is just hiding. He always does this. Kikazaru! Get back out here! The hands are gone now!"

Silence.

"Kikazaru? Kikazaru! Hey! Dipshit! Get your ass out here!"

Still nothing.

"This isn't funny, you gimptard! Get out here now!"

Impa and Julie waited.

"What the fuck? Did we scare him off? Do you see him, kunoichi?"

Impa looked around. "No, I don't. I can't feel him at all."

"Shit!"

"You see? I told you! This place is evil! That Smith is even after us psyches! He's knows we're helping her stop him!"

"Oh please! Like he can really hurt you! You're already dead!"

"Oh really?" Julie put a hand to her side and then flashed it at Iwazaru. "You see that! Blood! BLOOD! If I am dead, then why do I bleed? Huh? Answer me that genius!"

"There was blood everywhere in that place! You're covered in it!"

Julie was red in anger. She took her gun and shot the red gimp in the chest. Blood came out. Iwazaru flinched.

"You're bleeding as well now! Explain that!"

Iwazaru looked down and touched the wound. The blood stained a darker red on him. He touched the liquid. "Oh, shit! We're in a tight spot!"

"No shit, sherlock!"

Pain suddenly struck Impa's marked eye. She fell over and held her face.

"Aaaah!"

Visions struck Impa of darkness and struggle. She saw hole of light shrinking and felt the greedy grip of a thousand hands pull her away. Smothered wailing shrieked out for help.

Iwazaru shifted his attention. "Shadow one, what is it?"

"It's Kikazaru!" Impa spouted out among the pain, "They got him!"

"What?"

"See? I told you!" Julie pointed. "He's trying to break us apart! He's going to take us out one by one until no one is left!"

"SHUT UP, WOMAN!" Iwazaru shouted through his gag.

The vision finally stopped. Link and the fellow Sages stood on alert. Impa finally recovered and assured them she would be okay. They all were still disturbed. Impa stated, "We must save him."

"No." Iwazaru spoke.

"His fate is sealed if we do not help him."

"Our mission is to free the assassins. We can't stress over the casualties. And if Kika-kun is one of them, so be it."

"But he's your friend!" Julie protested.

"He's a psyche like us! And we psyches are supposed to aid the cleaner no matter what the cost! We have our mission! Besides, what's the worst that could happen to him?"

"A lot can happen! Trust me!" Julie vehemently argued.

They were silent.

"Too bad for him. Even then, how are we going to get him back? Get ourselves captured? No. Not doing that. We've got too much to lose as it is. If we're lucky, he will be okay when he defeat Four-eyes. This hellhole will be gone when we do that and everything should go back to normal."

"Iwazaru is right." Impa nodded. "We have our mission and there is no way we can help the white one right now. We just have to march on."

Julie sighed. "Fine. He's one of yours, do what you wish. But you're bastards for it."

"We're bastards anyway, woman. Yet another lesson you forget."

Julie glared at Iwazaru.

Impa took a deep breath and mentally pushed aside the truth to focus on the task at hand. "Where do we go next?"

"This way leads to the battlefield. After that, the maidens."

"One more thing." Iwazaru stopped them.

"What is it?"

SMACK!

Julie fell to the ground from the power of Iwazaru's backhand. His face was stoic as always, but the rage projected the message, "Don't you ever...EVER...shoot me again! EVER! I got a thing about that!"

Julie growled and got back up. "Fine. You done now?"

"Yes." Iwazaru spoke solemnly.

"Let's go then."

The three went through a dark hallway that led to the outside of a huge bunker. The bunker introduced a huge field where a massive battle waged among heaven smile creatures, the temple killers, and monsters from Hyrule's Shadow Temple. Killers killed stalfos. Heaven smile killed themselves against the original spirits and inhabitants. Bats and broken smiles fought in the air. Warm machines fought magic. Anarchy and destruction ruled the place.

Impa asked the remant psyche, "What are we doing here?"

Julie pointed out, "The Smith was a spy one time for the British government. He used to help relay information during battle a few times. I assume this place has something to do with that."

Impa carefully surveyed the area while they hid in a ditch. She remembered Iwazaru talking about how Kevin also took out enemy leaders. But among all the chaos, the mission was still too vague. Who were the leaders? Who was good and evil? Who was anything in this war short of dead in the end?

"You look like you're in need of some direction, lady."

Impa looked to her left and saw the salesman-psyche Yoon-Hyun approach her.

"What brings you here, masked merchant?"

"I heard you were in a bit of a rough patch. So I came to provide my services."

"And by that you mean another transaction?" Iwazaru asked.

"The best things in life are not free, red one. They're paid for in blood."

"Always the greedy one, eh caretaker?"

"Not greedy. Just ambitious. I go where business is profitable. If the hero wins, we all win. And victory is always more profitting than defeat, especially with your growing odds. So why not take a little cream off the top? It's not like anyone is assessing every detail in the big plan. And there's no harm in trimming the excess fat."

"Shady bastard."

"Speak for yourself. Red is the shadiest color in a black-and-white world. So where do you stand in all of it?"

"Next to the hero, like always." Iwazaru replied.

"Yes, but how close?" Yoon-Hyun retorted.

Yoon-Hyun smiled. "What you are looking for in this place is a way out of here. Don't sweat the who and what. There is no winning in this place. Just surviving. But this war must end soon. Are you up for the task? Shoot the mask to hear more. But the mask craves blood."

Impa cut herself again and fed the mask with a stab to the face. It took a minute to absorb all the blood, and then it burst into a thousand particles and reformed on Yoon-Hyun's head. The darker persona came out with middle fingers in the air.

"So, loser. Here we are again."

"Strange one," Impa requested, "please tell us how to get through this battle. How do we get out of here?"

"Heh, heh, heh. Stuck in a rut, are we? Figures. Never send a woman to do a man's job. Especially one that's not like _them_. But don't fret, reject. I will bestow you some enlightenment in your sad existence."

Impa stood undaunted by the mask's words. She simply awaited his directions.

The masked spirit within the psyche pulled out a handful of seeds. He grabbed Impa's sill-bleeding wrist and let it sprinkle red all over The seeds summoned a small flock of pigeons of unknown origin. They hopped and cooed on the ground in anticipation for their orders. The masked one fed Impa directions.

"This place is a trap. War is nothing but a big trap we all enter at our own expense and escape at someone else's. The only way out of this war is through the awakening destruction of all conflicting forces. Shed the divine light upon them until they all return to dust. See your reflection in the blood of your enemies. Take out the leaders first, or else they will keep summoning their little friends. Then kill them all. The pigeons shall lead the way. Trust the pigeons. Finish you mission."

The wild caretaker dropped the seed on the ground and the pigeons frantically feasted. Impa watched as the little birds pecked and flapped their little wings. When they were done, the little flock dashed off into the smoky sky.

"Good luck, low-life."

Yoon-Hyun vanished as if he were the actual guardian psyche of the temple. Impa snapped back into reality. The overwhelming battle nearby still waged on. Iwazaru and Julie watched the chaos in action. "What now?"

Impa surveyed the bloody landscape. "We need constant darkness. And smoke. Lots of it."

"The question is how."

Impa spotted a squad of smiles running nearby. She tossed a bomb in their direction.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The smoke gave her enough cover to advance onward. She continued this method until she saw a pigeon fly by. She followed it from the shadows. She carefully persued the bird until--

SPLACK!

The pigeon met its demise on the spear of a massive moblin. Blood stained its armor. _Talk about a marked man._

Impa threw a few more bombs to trigger a chain reaction. She swiftly snuck behind the beast and shoved one blade into its back and pulled herself up to its head. Her other hand produced a light arrow and plunged into the head. The moblin cried out and fell to its death, leaving nothing but blood and ashes.

"YEAH! Give em hell!" Iwazaru shouted.

The underlings of the fallen leader rallied in vengeance against the sage. Wolfos, undead, stalfos, poes, and iron knuckles came by the hundreds. The smiles and butchers stood in their way.

"Shit."

Impa prepared for the hordes that filtered through the fights. She began slashing her way through them by the dozen. Iwazaru and Julie asisted her from behind. More came, more fell. But not without its costs. After the first wave, she sustained cuts and bruises all over her body. Julie and Iwazaru were in milder condition. But Impa told them, "We have to keep moving!"

The next pigeon Impa saw guided her in the direction of the Heaven Smile. So far, her strategy with the smiles was to simply stay out of their way while they fought with the other creatures. She threw bombs and fire arrows at them to trigger chain reactions or instigate fights, but made she was not in striking distance. She decided to use Din's Fire to wipe them out in bigger groups, then run for it until she could reach the leader of the smiles.

The only problem with using Din's Fire was the Impa could possibly hurt Julie and Iwazaru in their new, vulnerable states. She would have to leave them behind.

"Iwazaru, Julie, go hide somewhere!"

"What? What about you?"

"I'll be fine. Just do it!"

Impa threw a bomb behind her to distract the smiles while the psyches escaped. She ran deeper back into smile territory. Within a few minutes of her plan's execution, she saw another pigeon fly above her. She chased it to a small valley where a large, green smile similar to the replicators attached intself to the rocky terrain and spat out eggs. Its tentacle grabbed the pigeon and crushed it to pulp. Impa killed the eggs with fire arrows. The light arrows made the head smile perish like the rest of them.

_Two down, one more to go._

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Impa turned around and saw the entire smile army dashing downhill after her. Impa summoned another wave of Din's Fire to stop some of them, then she ran out of power. She retreated behind a rock.

"Now what? I need a distraction of some sort to take on all of them. But I can't use Iwazaru or Julie. I need something..."

Link flashed in Impa's head. Within a second, he projected a vision of him at the Ikana Ruins and Stone Tower. He was trying to teach her the Elegy of Emptiness.

_Are you sure this is going to work?_

Link made a face and pointed out the smiles, communicating, _What choice do you have?_

Impa agreed and followed Link's directions. She took out the Ocarina of Time and began to play. A large ring of light appeared out of nowhere and formed a wooden, hollow clone of the Shadow Sage. "Interesting." Impa curiously remarked. But the smiles were closer now. Impa merged into the shadows to escape.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Impa swiftly transferred between all the shadows to reach Julie and Iwazaru once more. They were wounded but still fighting. Julie would shoot at butchers while Iwazaru punched and kicked them to the ground. The tactics knocked the enemies down but not out.

Impa stepped in and helped them fend off the final army. Within a minute she took down twelve slashers and wounded two more butchers, but the factions recovered quickly. The slashers were quick and more deadly in numbers. The butchers proved they were more spry than Impa deduced when they acrobatically assaulted her from the air. She rolled away and fought them like they were Gerudo thieves. Then the slashers accumulated between the crackes of remaining space and they all wanted a piece of her. Then she heard laughter.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! KABOOOOOOM!

Impa flew backward and let a trail in the dirt with her body. She swiftly got back on her feet but her body nearly screamed from burn wounds. She looked up and noticed the blade army recovering from the impact as well. Apparently a few of the smiles were not convinced by the decoy she placed.

Impa prepared for the next round despite the setbacks. She stepped forward with her weapons in hand. Then she noticed something glowing below her. She saw the doll of Samantha lying on the ground. Blood had stained the face of it. The eyes and hair turned fiery orange. Then it burst into particles. The red dots flew in the air and manifested themselves into a woman.

The woman was pale and had messy, orange hair kept up in a ponytail. She wore a skimpy, white shirt with small shorts and a pair of red shoes. Many different weapons and belts of explosives strapped on her torso like they clung for dear life. Impa caught a glimpse of her face and realized it was Samantha herself.

_The dark fairy...!_

Samantha looked at the army in front of her and took out a foreign, black, slim weapon with two handles. She cooly directed it and unleashed a shower of metal.

RATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATA!

One by one, the hackers, slashers, and butchers all fell at Samantha's deadly wrath. Metal heads pierced bloody holes into ungodly flesh and triggered a chain reaction of fallen men. And she showed not a hint of mercy.

Samantha moved in closer to kill more masked ones. She slowed her pace to mow down a rampant gathering of demons in the midst of the carnage. Under the mess were a barely-kicking Iwazaru and Julie Kisugi. Samantha grabbed them and threw them away to take on the bigger masses. She only stopped for a moment to grab a bomb from her belt, pull the pin out, and drop-kick it into the crowd, scattering another twenty to thirty slashers. After that, she grabbed hold of another weapon that breathed great waves of fire onto the masked hackers.

Impa hurried and pull the beaten psyches to safety in some trenches. Julie and Iwazaru both suffered severe lacerations and could barely even walk. Julie's broken glasses barely clung to her face. Iwazaru's body suit was dark red with tears an splits in his red suit, but surprisingly his bindings were not broken.

Iwazaru whispered,"The horror......the horror! This is some insane shit! For once I feel true fear! And I don't fucking like it!"

"That was...too close." Julie coughed up.

Impa helped them up, "It's okay now. I have a red potion. We can share it."

The Sheikah pulled out a simple red potion and opened a bottle. She let Julie sip some of it. Impa offered it to the gimp since she had no idea how he would take in the potion when his mouth was covered. He threw his hand at it.

"Feh! I'll be fine! I don't need your red piss water!"

"Are you sure?" Impa asked.

"I don't care what power Four-eyes has. I will live as long as the leader lives! I will live no matter what!"

Impa sighed and rolled her eyes. She took a swig and left a third of the potion intact for later.

"Hey!"

The three of them flinched. They looked up and saw Samantha standing over them, her silhouette piercing the bright, false, apocalyptic sky.

"Are you guys ready to go or what? I'm on the clock here!"

Impa helped Julie and Iwazaru up. Nearly the entire landscape was consumed with flames from Samantha's fury. Bodies and broken shrapnel lay burning on the ground.

"Damn, woman!" Iwazaru poked at the snowy ash falling around them, "looks like our work is cut out for us."

"Don't think so." Samantha pointed, "Big Daddy is still technically yours for the taking, as is your duty."

"Oh, but of course." Iwazaru chided with scarasm, "Kill everything that pisses standing up except the guy that's big enough to piss on you. Thanks a lot, firecrotch."

"Okay, you can and burn with the rest of them if you like." Sam spoke agitatingly.

"Come now, is this anyway to handle things? They took Kikazaru for Harman's sake!"

"They took whitey! Aww. That's a damn shame. He was the cuter one of the two of you."

Iwazaru was silent with arrogance.

"Why are you here, Samantha?" Impa asked out of nowhere.

"I thought you knew the deal." Samantha reminded her, "Don't you know the arrangement of the little gift I gave your little savior?"

Link flashed the memory of Samantha giving him the little doll. She told Impa the same thing she told Link. "When you have fallen, I will come to aid you. Stain me in the blood of my enemies, then get out of my way."

Julie stood up and took off her glasses. "So that's how you got here."

Samantha replied, "Yep, but I was about to send Travis or one of the other psyches to see what was up since you haven't reported in a few hours. Now I see why."

Iwazaru explained, "Four-eyes has pulled off some sort of stunt that traps us psyches and makes us his little human cattle in this massive slughterhouse he's created. And you stepped into it."

Samantha scoffed at Iwazaru. "You really think the albino can really trap me? You must be high, gimp. Because there is no way. Have fun taking on hatchet-face."

Samantha teleported out in a shift of static.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!"

Impa, Iwazaru, and Julie looked behind them and saw the massive hunstman charging behind them. The Shiekah and gimp jumped out of the way. Julie went into a sprint. The huntsman threw a rock. It struck her head and knocked her down. The beastman was looming over her when she recovered.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

SPLOOOOOK!

The huntsman had brought down the hammer. Julie's headless body burst into red dust and vanished into static.

Impa and Iwazaru scrambled into a battle stance. The huntsman charged after the two of them with not an inch of hesitance. Impa ran towards the hulking, masked beast-man. They engaged each other fiercely. The huntsman swung his hammer or tried to grab the sage. She slashed at his legs to try to drop him to his knees. The huntsman cut Impa with a hunting knife. Impa retaliated with a blinding deku nut and stabbed the monster in the back. The huntsman roared in pain but instinctively swung his fist. It knocked Impa back a few feet. She stood up and wiped blood off of her forehead. She saw the huntsman yank the ninjato from his back and throw it away in a ditch.

The sage and the behemoth ran at each other again. Impa used her free hand to cling onto the demon and slash at his neck for a potential victory through decapitation. She stunned the huntsman with the relentless hacking to induce a massive neck wound, but the enemy shoved the grip of his hammer up her chin. The impact jarred her head and stunned her. For a moment, her ears rang and shut out the world. Darunia spoke from within.

"_Impa, are you okay?"_

Impa gritted her teeth and kept up her movement. She replied, _Yes, I can still fight._

_"I wish to help. This guy is massive and you need to save your strength for the assassin."_

Impa dodged a few more axe swings and cut the hunstman's arms to try and make him drop his weapon. The silence was still seized her senses.

_Give me a minute, I can weaken him!_

Impa and the hunstman smashed into each other. She stabbed the brute in the knee in hopes of handicapping him. It worked, but not without consequence. The huntsman grabbed Impa's head and rammed it into the ground.

_Okay! He's all yours!_

Impa avoided a head stomping by sending her other knife into the foot of the huntsman. It bought her enough time to take out the Ocarina and play the Bolero of Fire. Her body brust into red dust. The dust then reformed into the hulking Goron King.

The huntsman saw the Goron and roared. Darunia took out the Megaton hammer and called the creature out, "Time to put you in the ground!"

The two juggernauts ran towards each other. The hunstman swung his axe, but Darunia slid under the blade and whacked off the lower point of the mask. It flew in the air and fell in the mud. The huntsman growled angrily and the two warriors flew into a raging conflict.

The huntsman swung his wicked blade while Darunia sent forth his hammer with messages of death. They shared the same strengths. Both were strong. they could send a beating and take a beating. It was a simple matter of endurance.

Darunia thought he was making progress. The huntsman was covered in wounds and his helm started to crack. Then he pulled a trick on Darunia by stabbing the Goron with a poison-tipped dagger. The wound barely penetrated the skin. But the wound ensured searing pain with venom.

Darunia grew angry and decided to pull out his trump card. He curled into a ball and revved himself up with friction. Then he let loose and shot straight into the huntsman. The pummeling stunned the smiling monster. Darunia relented for a free moment to gorge on an assortment of explosives followed by a fire arrow chaser. The Goron took a breath and braced himself for the impending eruption.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSH!

Darunia set the huntsman ablaze. The behemoth roared and threw his arms around as he struggled to cope with the immense heat continuously concentrated upon him. Darunia blew out any fire left in his body. While the huntsman staggered around, Darunia took the opportunity and seized hold the giant mask and shoved a light arrow up into its underside. He finished the huntsman off with a swif hammer-swing to the face.

DOOOOM!

The huntsman's burning body dropped to the ground. Blood poured from the ruined remains of the smiling hunter's mask. Then the corpse burst into dust, leaving a massive puddle of red.

Darunia caught his breath. _Okay, Impa. You can take over again._ The Goron pulled out his drums and transformed back into the Sage of Shadows. Iwazaru approached the still-wounded Impa with her blades. "I think you might need these, yes?"

Impa sheathed her long-knives and took a few small sips of red potion to help her focus. The blood was still there. Impa was curious now. She approached it and kneeled down for further study. She touched the red liquid with a finger. The puddle started to surround her, then she felt herself sinking. Impa struggled to free her freet but nothing worked. The next thing she saw was darkness as the ground covered her head.

Impa regained her sight again as she felt a floor beneath her feet again. She was in the center chamber again. The systematic humming and churning of machines put her back into reality. She had come out of one of the mirrors apparently. The mirror spat Iwazaru out a minute later.

"ACK! Some war! This place is a fucking circus! A gimped up funhouse of horror! This is what the world would look like if the Nazis won the war! A carnival of the Third Reich I say!"

Iwazaru froze and turned completely around.

"Ninja! We're in a tight spot! I sense a disturbance in the force! Death is about to come from above!"

Impa looked upward. A large looking glass mounted to the underside of a furnace glowed white. Then a woman appeared on the surface.

CRASSSSSSH!

Samantha fell backward through the glass. Her largest canon pointed upward as the hands of darkness chased after her. Kikazaru scrambled around in the chaotic gap between the two.

"WATCH OUT!"

Kikazaru disappeared and popped up next to Iwazaru and Impa. Samantha fired a round into the mmifested madness. The shadows swallowed the shell, then they exploded apart into little minions. Samantha was still falling.

Impa jumped off and longshot to another ledge to catch Samantha. The Zarus joined back up with them on the lower level.

"Stitch-eyes was right. We're stuck in here until you take out Four-eyes! We gotta get to the core before they get to us!"

More dark hands scattered down towards them. Impa instictively grabbed Samantha and touched the mirror to shift into the next corridor. They group regained their bearings in a rusted hallway. Samanta took off her gear for a moment to drink a green potion. She noticed someone missing from the team.

"Where's Julie?"

"The giant got to her." Iwazaru replied.

"Shit....Oh well, omelets and eggs, I guess. I got whitey back, though."

Kikazaru wiggled and waved despite being covered in bruises. Then he stopped. He stared back at the crew and ran the other way.

"Kikazaru!" Impa called out.

Iwazaru looked behind them and then ran after his cohort, "Shiiiiit!"

Samantha and Impa turn around at the sound of tapping and saw the hands smashing into the glass to reach them.

"Run!"

Impa and Samantha grabbed their equipment and dash to catch up with the Zarus. The sound of broken glass echoed behind them. The four picked up the pace upon hearing the scattering of the enemies behind them. Impa and Samantha fire bombs to hold the dark ones back. The swarm ran faster and the team had to pick up the pace.

"DOOR!"

Impa ran and opened it. Samantha slid backwards into the room and sent another massive round into what lay before her. Impa shut the door behind her.

The group kept running down a hallway full of doors. No one dared to open them since they were most likely traps. They saw a four-way up ahead and stopped.

"Which way?" Impa asked.

"I don't know," Samantha replied.

Kikazaru ran down the hallway to their right. Samantha squinted in the distance and saw a boy staring back at them.

"It's the bomber kid!" Iwazaru exclaimed.

Samantha and Impa went after him. The boy ran away into another set of hallways. The group followed him through twist and turn until they stopped in front of a massive horde of undead. They were undead maidens carrying things from canons to clubs and sticks.

"OUTTA THE WAY!" Samantha yelled as she shot another fireball into the crowd. The power split the enemy lines in two. Impa merged into the shadows and took out more of the furies as they swung their weapons to beat down Samantha. Samantha took out a machete and hacked at some of the hags while shooting at others. They all tried to overwhelm her.

"This...is...not...working!" Samantha gasped.

Impa kept killing the maidens to help Samantha keep moving. She decided to use the Elegy of Emptiness to distract the furies while they escaped to the next door. She pulled the ocarina out, quickly played the notes, and a decoy Sheikah manifested. Impa threw a deku nut and grabbed Samantha. The sage and psyche ran as fast as they could. Suddenly, the Zarus beckoned them to another elevator. Kess Bloodysunday waited for them inside.

Impa, Samantha, and the Zarus took a break as the elevator moved downward. They drank their potions to recover and checked their supplies.

"So what's the scoop, kid?" Samantha asked as she reloaded her foreign weapons.

Kess did his monologue with his signature twisted face of horror still preserved.

"This place is scary. I thought it was going to be like a typical haunted house. I ran around in the halls and messed with the mirrors. I even saw some monsters. I used to tease them by throwing rocks or bombs at them. It was funny at first. But then one spotted me a cut my arm."

Kess held his arm out. It was encrusted with dried blood.

"I got really scared and ran away. I got into the old hospital wing through another mirror. Then the ghost ladies chased after me knives and pipes. So I kept running. I ran until I reached the bottom mirror. That's where _he_ lives.

"There's a pit down there full of smelly water. But in the center, there's a large circle. It kinda reminded me of the circle that sumo wrestlers fought in. But it wasn't. I saw things floating around. Then the dark one looked like the grim reaper. But he carried two big blades instead of a scythe. But he had a glowing smile. It was kinda funny. But then he tried to hurt me, too! Why does everyone gotta pick on me! Natural selection is the suck! If I had my trusty bombs from back in the day, I could have taught him a lesson. I could've showed them all!"

"That's enough, bomberman." Samantha chided. "We'll take care of things from here. If you stay out of our way, we might all get to leave this place."

"A kid can only hope." Kess spoke sarcastically.

Impa brooded on how the main ceremony chamber looked like when Bongo-Bongo resided there. Link had to fight him on a massive drum. Apparently, not much has changed.

Samantha inquired, "I take it you can't leave this place either?"

Kess shook his head.

"Okay, try to lay low and we'll handle the rest."

"Easier said than done, lady." Kess went on. "The dark one senses us. You killed the boogeyman king. Now the reaper is tearing his own world apart just to get to us. This place gets more and more crazy by the minute. If we don't hurry, this whole place will be sunk into the darkness!"

"Relax! We'll handle it!" Samantha snapped.

The elevator stopped and the doors slid open. The sage and psyches cautiously stepped out. Everyone looked around.

"This doesn't exactly look like a place Kevin has visited." Iwazaru commented.

"That's because this is not part of the assassin's world." Impa explained. "It's part of the original Shadow Temple. Come on."

Impa led the psyches to a large, gothic boat. "This ferry will take us to the assassin's chamber."

"Are you sure?" Samantha asked skeptically.

"My ancestors built this place to be a stronghold for the meeting of souls. This part of the temple represents souls riding the river of the dead to reach the deeper ranks of the underworld."

Iwazaru nodded, "Yeah, that sounds like Four-Eyes to me. Eversince his days as an undercover agent spying on the Thule society, he always had a knack for weird death stuff like that."

Samantha remarked, "Some of his best days were spent there."

Impa played Zelda's Lullaby to command the vessel. It slowly powered up and bobbed down the abysmal river.

The darkness swallowed the remaining light as they entered a tunnel. Impa unsheathed her knives and awaited the enemy. Samantha brandished one of her many foreign weapons. Kess whined, "What am I supposed to do? I don't have a weapon!"

Samantha rolled her eyes and dug through her effects and threw the boy a combat knife for him to defend himself.

"I want that back when we're done. And if you stab me, so help me I will make you wish you never touched a single fuckin' firecracker ever again!"

"Okay, okay!"

The boat shook and lifted. Then screeching and moaning filled the air. Impa hacked and slashed in the darkness. swarms of hands, bats, and little smiling warriors fell from the sky. Impa, Samantha, the Zarus, and Kess fought blindly as the boat sailed down the river.

"WATCH OUT!" Impa called out to her allies.

"SHIT!" Iwazaru fumbled around and punched his oppressors.

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" Samantha yelled and shot a fireball upward.

The explosion revealed the silhouette of hundreds of monsters falling from above them. They kept fighting until Impa saw torchlight in the distance.

"IT'S THE END! WE'RE ALMOST THERE! Impa yelled.

Impa kept her eye on the stop while she threw out deku nuts. Suddenly, something grabbed the boat and pulled it downward. Everyone slipped as the floor of battle sloped into abyss. Impa instictively jumped off and rolled onto the port. She looked back and saw the psyches still caught in battle. Impa shot off a light arrow to signal them to disembark. Samantha saw Impa and threw a bomb behind her and jumped to safety. The Zarus and Kess were losing the fight. Impa instinctively took out the long shot and shot it into Iwazaru.

SPLIK!

Kikazaru latched onto his brethren and the chain retracted, taking them with it. The two psyches reached the top and Impa helped pull the hook out of an irritated Iwazaru.

"Where's the kid?" Samantha caught her breath.

Kikazaru looked back at the void.

"Shit....He's still got my knife."

"I think you'll live, firecrotch." Iwazaru coarsely scoffed at her.

Impa saw the broken statue bridge had crumbled and fallen in. She looked around for another way to cross. Link flashed in her head and envisioned a possible idea.

_It's worth a try._ Impa thought.

Impa gave Samantha the longshot, then destroyed a torch and merged into the shadows to cross the gap. Link taught her the Scarecrow Song. The scarecrow popped up from a nearby rock. Impa signaled Samantha where to fire.

"Okay!"

SKATOOOOOSSSSSH!

STICK!

Samantha repelled out of the gap as the chain reeled in. She then aimed the hook onto Iwazaru and pulled the trigger.

STICK!

"AAAAAAH GAHDDAMNIT WOMAN!"

Kikazaru latched onto his cohort as Samantha reeled the both of them to their spot. She yanked the hook out of Iwazaru. He fell to the ground and bled while muttering little curses. Samantha poured a little bit of red potion on him to heal. He still sulked.

Impa looked at the door before her. She remebered there was just the one dark room where Link needed the Lens of Truth and then the final chamber where Bongo-Bongo once resided.

"Just one more chamber." Impa told the psyches.

"Are you sure?" Samantha asked.

"Yes, he's down there."

"Well, what are we waiting for?"

Impa opened the door into the dark room. The normal human eye could only see the platforms that led to the respective doors. The only difference was that the door to the boss chamber was actually a mirror.

Samantha asked, "Are we going to need the longshot again?"

Impa took out the Lens of Truth, "No, just do what I do."

Impa jumped onto the hidden center platform. Samantha and the Zarus followed suit. Then they heard moaning come from below. A fire arrow revealed it was the darkness trying to pull them into the abyss. Impa and Samantha fought the entity while carefully staying on the middle pillar. The demon still kept regenerating, but they still kept fighting.

Samantha looked at Impa and the mirror.

"Go."

"What about you? I can't leave you behind!" Impa protested.

"There's no choice. No one is getting out of here alive unless Kevin is stopped! We remnants are dispensible! You are the key and must finish the mission at all costs! Take the gimps and go!"

Samantha pushed Impa onto the mirror ledge. The Zarus went to her side. Impa looked back at Samantha one more time. "Hurry, damnit!" she growled.

Iwazaru prodded, "She's right. We're simple peons in this war. Send us to die and we shall fulfill the command. Only you are valuable."

Impa reluctantly pressed her hand onto the mirror. It cracked and lit up like the first time. Everything went dark and walls caved in.

FLASH!

Impa was back in the collapsing atrium of the temple.

CRASH!

The mirror the trio came from burst into a hundred pieces. Samantha was on her own now. Impa took a moment to gain her bearings and prepare for the battle ahead. Only one mirror left to go through and she would be free.

"Come on, ninja." Iwazaru approached the glass, "It's time to test that theory about saving our friends. If you want to call them that."

"We psyches are bickering comrades of politics and war, red one. But we are comrades nonetheless."

Impa and the Zarus looked up to see the knowledge merchant Yoon-Hyun standing above them.

Iwazaru asked in mild amazement, "How in the hell did you get here?"

Yoon-Hyun cooly replied, "I have my ways."

"Redhead, Kisugi, and the kid are gone, you know?"

"I am aware of the situation. And I am here to help you."

"You know the monsters will be after you soon, right?"

"I know. That's why I'm giving you this information for free."

"Free? Wow, hell must have frozen over."

"Kisugi, the kid, the redhead, and I are placing a gamble on your victory against the assassin. And I plan to profit."

"What are you getting out of this?" Iwazaru interrogated the psyche.

"Life is sometimes the best profit. We psyches only have either Heaven, Hell, or Harman. And there are neither endless opium fields nor a mansion full of barely legal schoolgirls in my future. So there are only two other choices. Besides, all this gloom and doom gives me flashbacks of when I used to be a foot soldier in Hong Kong. Bad days indeed."

"Skip the grief and get down to the brass tacks." Iwazaru ordered. "We ain't got all day!"

Yoon-Hyun took a deep breath and spoke, "The mirrors will be Smith's undoing. What good is all that bad luck? It'll put him in a real tight spot if you are quick enough. He also hates light like everything else in this place. Use that to you advantage and prove your worth."

The moaning and hissing echoed from the depths below.

"Good luck, lady. We're all counting on you."


	28. Four Eyes

Chapter 26:

Four-Eyes

The boss chamber of the Shadow Temple, on first impression, was relatively the same. The first part of it was the same kind of room with the hole in the center. But eyes blinked and teeth drooled from the walls. The hole still remained.

Kikazaru hung his head down to see below. Iwazaru lingered. "He waits for us..."

"Then we shall indulge him." Impa said as she approached the edge. She jumped in. Kikazaru followed but vanished before he could land. Impa silently fell. Then she felt them.

SSSHHHOOO!

WHOOOSH!

Blades.

Impa flipped and landed on a large floating tile. She noticed more of them revolved around in the air. Some of them had mirrors sitting on them. Then more blades sliced the air around her. She dropped down below to the main ring-- the drum of Bongo-Bongo.

Another small shower of metal followed Impa. She dodged as it came. The blades stuck into the drum skin. Impa plucked a few out. The weapons were a tossed combination of kunai, shuriken, throwing daggers, and foreign razor blades with broken bombshell fragments. Then the laughter echoed. Impa dodged another atack. This time it was a bigger blade.

Impa turned around and pulled out her ninjato. The daggers came again, followed by the bigger knife. She broke out in to an invisible knife fight with the enemy. And the assassin started to land hits. Impa decided to change her strategy. She held one knife in her mouth and pulled out the Lens of Truth. When the assassin attacked her, he became solid for a moment. She stood still and waited.

The killer finally came again. Impa caught a glint of movement in the reflection of her weapon. She waited for the shadow to loom over her and stabbed its keeper.

The dark figure vanished. It reappeared in front of Impa. The enemy before her was a tall, looming, cloaked assassin wearing old Sheikah ninja gear. A hood allowed darkness to devour his face. All she could see were four glowing eyes and a wide, sinister smile. A pair of large knives appeared in his hands. Laughter echoed maniacally from the outer void.

-Smiling, Silent Phantom: Kevin-

Kevin vanished and charged after Impa again. His knives lacerated Impa in small doses. But Impa's timing grew better with every attempt. Eventually, she cut him three more times. Kevin became visible again and ran at her. They skillfully swiped and slashed at each other. Occasionally one of them incorporated a punch or a kick, but the knives fought most of the battle.

The fight escalated upwards when Impa chased Kevin up onto the moving stones. The battle changed from close-combat to a ranged fight as they showed each other their throwing knives. Impa carefully tossed her kunai at Kevin while he brought sharp volleys down on her. Impa managed to evade the offenses until Kevin tossed another trick at her. He threw the daggers into the mirrors. The mirrors would transfer them to Impa's location. Impa jumped away and pulled them out of her body when she could.

Kevin stepped on something and Impa dropped into the dark water around the drum. Impa quickly jumped back into the ring. The acid made her cuts scream, but she shut the pain out.

Iwazaru appeared mid-combat. "Foolish ninja, have you forgotten what you learned already?"

Impa clashed with Kevin. They two of them kept fighting. Iwazaru kept talking.

"Four-eyes suffers from terrible eyesight. But, unlike Con, he actually can see light! Overwhelm his senses and you--!"

Kevin threw a dagger into Iwazaru's shoulder.

"AAAAAAH SWEET HARMAN!"

Impa took the chance and threw down a deku nut. The flash blinded Kevin for a moment, quick enough for Impa to throw a couple of bombs into the poisonous water. Waves of miasma lashed out and ate at Kevin's attire.

Kevin recoiled and retreated into a mirror. Impa followed him up the obstacles. Kevin threw the usual shower of sharp bits through the mirrors. Impa leapt from tile to tile to avoid them. Kevin then threw his bigger knife into the portals. Impa barely evaded them as they swung back. Kevin stepped out and tried to drop the tiles to make Impa fall again. She kept her movements up and threw some careful kunai. They stuck into the assassin's legs before he stepped back into the looking glass.

SHHHK!

"AAAH!"

Kevin's successful retalitation was a knife in Impa's side. Impa pulled it out and kept moving. Kevin kept to this attack pattern until Impa managed to stick one of her knives into his arm. Kevin shoved her away and shifted mirrors. The two played cat and mouse with each other until Kevin finally pressed a faulty tile and dropped Impa back down to the drum.

Impa recovered quickly and looked around. Kevin was missing again. Impa stood still and let her senses take over.

SHOOK!

Impa rolled out of the way of another jagged volley. Kevin landed on the drum and the two slashed and hacked at each other once again. Kevin gradually gained the upper hand by moving Impa closer to the edge. Impa stabbed the assassin with a fire arrow and pulled him into the poison. Kevin shrieked and writhed but got back up and fought Impa some more. Impa managed to throw him in one more time before he retreated back into the mirror traps.

Impa was about to leap back up and chase for Kevin once again but paused when she looked at the mirrors. She remembered what Yoon-Hyun said.

"The mirrors will be Smith's undoing."

Impa threw a kunai and busted the mirror. The glass shattered and fell into the pit. Impa leapt onto the platform. Kevin tossed more sharp objects at every turn. Impa jumped dropped down and hung on the edge of the floating stone. When she had the chance, she leapt another spot and smashed another mirror. Kevin sensed her plan and hastened his actions. He came at her and they exchanged lacerations. Kevin pushed her down and Impa barely evaded the pit again. Kevin summoned some power and sent three big blades flying toward her. Impa only managed to dodge one.

With one badly cut leg and shoulder, Impa still kept up with her plan. She threw more bombs into the pit around them. The posionous water rushed up in the explosion but Kevin sought solace in another mirror. Impa attacked the remaining mirrors, one by one, until Kevin was trapped in the last one. Impa stabbed Kevin in the head.

CRASH!

The assassin fell among the shattered pieces and falling rock.

DOOM!

Impa landed back onto the drum skin to finish the mission. Kevin's tainted, cloaked, body could barely hold itself up. The sage pulled out a light arrow. Kevin pulled a last trick and vanished. Impa was silent and cautious. She looked around carefully with the Lens of Truth

Kevin reappeared on a tile that fell in the water. His eyes still glowed with determination. He raised his arms in the air and opened his mouth.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The ground began to shake.

"Oh shit!" Iwazaru said as he hid behind a stray rock. "If he's doing what I think he's doing, we're in a seriously tight spot!"

"What is it?" Impa asked as she covered her head.

"He's doing it! I can't believe he's doing it!"

Kikazaru scrambled to hide next to Iwazaru.

Impa called out, "What is he doing!"

Iwazaru tried to explain as the world around them went into madness.

"There was a rumor about Four-eyes having another power he acquired during his time with the assassins. People say there was a reason why the Smith was a mute."

"And that reason is?"

"Supposedly, Kevin had acquired an ancient power. But no one really believed it! No one has ever seen it happen!"

Impa grabbed onto Iwazaru, "What is the power!"

Iwazaru replied, "They say his voice has the power to summon gods!"

"What!"

"I know, I know! It's stupid! I didn't believe it at first either! But it has to be!"

Impa looked around. Kevin was missing. The faintest bit of light was gone. Then the moaning and shifting of the hands of darkness returned. But they did not directly attack the sage. Instead, they formed into one massive creature with two hands and a large red eye. Link and instantly knew who it was.

Kevin had resurrected Bongo-Bongo.

The demon automatically began to bang on his drum like the old times. Impa got up te strength to dodge his hand attacks and aimed a light arrow into his eye. The light stunned him and Impa hacked mercilessly at it until the beast regained composure.

Impa did her best to keep up with the fight, but Bongo-Bongo still snuck in a few hand attacks. The Zarus finally got some courage to step up to the fight and latched onto the hands to distract the old monster while Impa kept destroying the eye. Eventually, the team brought the ancient one to its demise.

Bongo-Bongo's body disintegrated. All that was left now was an incapacitated Kevin for the taking. Impa took out one more light arrow and shot it into the weakened one. The body burst into a thousand glowing particles, leaving only a dagger behind.

Impa picked up the knife, then the room warped and heaved. And all faded to white.


	29. 1st Floor

Chapter 27:

1st Floor

Link, Impa, and the Zarus appeared in a strange, voilet-tinted atrium of a building with windows, chairs, tables, and a reception desk. There was nothing but darkness outside. The place reminded Link of the Stock Pot Inn in a strange way. Iwazaru and Kikazaru hovered around.

"Fuck yeah! We're not solid anymore!" Iwazaru cheered. Kikazaru cheered with him.

Impa inquired, "Where are we?"

The Zarus snapped back into a serious tone. Iwazaru explained, "This is the first floor in the Tower of Harman, the residing realm of Four-Eyes."

"This does not look like any tower I have seen." Impa remarked.

"Yeah, we know. We heard the same thing from your other sage friends. But the world of the assassin is one very much unlike your little patch of land."

Impa silently brooded upon the facts.

A bright light flashed and the human Kevin appeared. He was an alarmingly pale, shirtless man with white hair. He wore black pants and black glasses to cover his eyes. He kept a solemn but enigmatic expression on his face. He did not open his mouth but his voice echoed off the walls.

"I thank you for releasing me, friend. I have been expecting you for some time."

Impa nodded, "We have been trying to reach the temples for some time. It is only now that we have managed to reach you and your friends."

"I know. And I apologize for the atrocities. Kun Lan has his hands in every reach of this world, as well as my fellow mates."

"We know, Brit. We've spent the past few days trying to rescue them." Iwazaru prodded.

Kevin took out his knife. And like the past two assassins, the Shield of Sages changed into Garcian's weapon case and opened up to receive the next component.

"To return your land back to its peaceful state, I, Kevin Smith, bestow you my weapon."

Kevin placed the knife into the case. The case closed shut and returned to its state as the Shield of Sages.

Kevin then approached Impa. "I also give my thanks and apologies to you, Miss. I was a monster of a slave, but you were beyond amazing. I tip my head to you."

Impa spoke in her normal humble tone, "It was nothing short of our duty for the sake of Hyrule and her people."

"Nonetheless. To the victor go the spoils. But before I give you your reward, could I see that strange glass piece you were using?"

"You mean this?" Impa produced the Lens of Truth.

"Yes, that's the one. I saw you use that thing when we were fighting. What is it?"

"It's called a Lens of Truth. It's used to see through illusions."

"Does it now?" Kevin examined the relic, "If only I had this thing during my old days in British Intelligence. It would've given me a world of help. Now, you have an eye piece that reveals things. But how about one that makes _you_ disappear?"

Kevin gave Impa the Lens of Truth back. He took off his glasses, neatly folded them up, and put them in Impa's other hand. His eyes were red just like hers.

"You're lucky. No one has seen me like this before."

Impa only leaked a little curious out of her stoic demeanor. "You don't seem that different from anyone I've seen. A fair amount of Sheikah I know look like you."

Kevin's smile widened a little. "Then I suppose I'm a fish out of water being an assassin for the Syndicate. Perhaps I should join your people and become a Shiekah warrior."

Impa's face reddened a little for some reason.

Iwazaru cracked on Kevin, "If you weren't part of the Syndicate I would kill you right now. Which reminds us. If the village region is safe again, what happened to the psyches you killed in the temple? What happened to Samantha?"

Kevin approached the Zarus. "The remant psyches that _Kun Lan's power_ tried to destroy have been successfully returned to their previous state. Samantha barely managed to survive her battle while you fought me. But she did. And as long as she lives, she can restore the others, as is her power bestowed by Old Smith. Therefore, Mr. Bloodysunday, Miss Kisugi, and Yoon-Hyun are safe and sound.

"The only issue in need of fixing is the failsafe residing in the bottom of the village well. However, I shall handle that job so that you may be on your way. I sensed the other assassins freed in the village. I will be joining them as soon as I am done."

The room faded out into white.

Link, Kevin, and the Zarus flashed back into the graveyard. The night sky bore a sliver of a waning moon with feathery strains of clouds. They heard a rally of people grow louder and louder. Suddenly a bunch of soldiers stormed the graveyard with torches, spears, and swords. They cautiously surrounded the whole sight.

"Halt! Put down your weapons and show us your hands!"

Kevin's voiced echoed in Link's head, "I suppose we should better do what they say."

The assassin raised his arms up. Link followed his motion and did the same. More officers poured into the area. Eventually, Link saw Zelda, Garcian, Con, and Mask de Smith finally step into the area.

They all stood still for a moment.

"Who is it already?" Con brazenly interrupted the dead silence.

"Kevin." Garcian and Mask replied with the surprise still fresh.

"Kevin? Holy shit! For real?" Con exclaimed.

"Stand down!" Zelda commanded. The guards backed away from Link and Kevin. Zelda and the Smiths approached the hero and new reunitee. Garcian introduced the newly released assassin to Zelda.

"Commander Zelda, this is our fellow team mate, Kevin Smith. Kevin, this is Commander Zelda of the Hylian Resistance."

Zelda and Kevin formally shook hands. Garcian went onto explain, "Kevin is our... espionage expert. He is also a specialist in knives, swords, and -frankly- anything else with a sharp edge. He is mute though."

Zelda humbly nodded and explained, "We saw the sky turn white again, so we assumed something happened in the temple. Did you two just come out?" Link and Kevin nodded. Zelda smiled and nodded, "That's good. Very good. Come. You two probably need some rest from your battles."

Kevin held hand up and urgently shook his head. He pointed to Zelda and Garcian and then to the village. Zelda was confused and looked to Garcian for answers. Garcian translated for the silent one.

"Kevin says that we cannot rest yet. When Kun Lan trapped him in the temple, he implanted another Heaven Smile into the well of your village. When Link freed Kevin from the temple, the smile in the well was automatically awakened. If he does not enter the well and destroy it immediately, there will be another attack of Heaven Smile on the village by dawn."

Echoes of gasps and whispers littered the air.

Con exclaimed to Mask, "Dude! We've had one under us all along?"

"Don't look at me. I had no idea!"

Garcian spoke up again, "Kevin requests that you immediately take him to the well."

Zelda commanded the whole group to return to the village. Zelda led Link and the assassins to the well. The well was sealed and barricaded after the battle of Kakariko years before.

Kevin stepped up to the well. He turned around and signaled Mask de Smith to it. With a simple knocking on the wood, he gave Mask orders to remove the boards. The wrestler pulled the planks off one by one. Kevin beckoned a Sheikah to him and took his knife. Kevin pointed at it and back to the Sheikah to denote he would return the weapon when he was done.

Zelda held a hand out, "Are you sure you want to do this, Kevin? Maybe we should send a group down there first."

Kevin shook his hand for them to stay back.

Garcian spoke for Kevin. "Kevin says that it is necessary for the assassins to take on the Heaven Smile. If anyone else traveled down here, there would only be more casualties."

Mask spoke up, "He's right. The duty of the Heaven Smile originally rested on us. It is the duty of the us, the freed ones, to repent for the damage we allowed to be dealt."

Kevin leapt down into the well. He instantly reached a wall with a hole in the bottom of it. The man stretched his arms, legs, and back out. _Con is not the only one that can squeeze through a tight spot._ He carefully slid through the hole and out the other side.

A few good stabs took care of the large skull spiders twisting on the walls. Kevin poked at a fake wall and cautiously stepped through it. The adjacent room was a large ceremony room and hall that led to tombs and other rooms.

Kevin heard laughter and jingling echo off the walls. He instantly recognized the sounds and connected them to Spiral Smile. He took off his glasses and his body disappeared. He walked into the hallway and saw a big red ball with many different faces creeping down the pathway. Kevin steadily walked to it and stabbed the golden face. It cckled and burst into blood and ash. The Smith disposed of two more of the round creatures patrolling the halls as well as some stray skull spiders.

Kevin's memory directed him to the coffin area branching from the main corridor. The coffins were broken from exploding zombies and the creepy leech monsters that crept around on occasion, both of which littered the area. Kevin silently dispatched the walking corpses before taking on the fat pucker creature. He dealt some precise cuts to the beast until it melted into a puddle of eyes. _One more to go._

Kevin entered a dank chamber of catacombs where he saw a hover, dark-armor-skinned smile with glowing yellow eyes. It slowly went his way. Kevin sensed his invisibility slipping so he quiclky jumped behind the hulking demon and stabbed at the yellow spot on its back. The smile cackled and burst into particles. A bullet casing fell from the remains. Kevin grabbed it as soon as his body solidified again. _Nothing to it._ He thought as he strode out of the room.

"Hehehehahahahaha!"

Kevin looked down from the ledge and saw a whole crowd of smiles looming toward him.

_Me and my famous last words._

Link, Zelda, and the other assassins waited in the world above. Garcian leaned against a house. Mask did push-ups to pass the time and Con dozed in and out of sleep. Zelda had guards help Link receive anything he needed while inquiring about the sages. But they all kept their eyes and ears on the well.

Zelda carried on with her conversation.

"I hope Mr. Kevin is alright."

Garcian assured her, "He'll be fine. we've all handled these situations before."

Con piped in, "I still think it's kinda weird you guys have a secret passageway in your water supply. I mean, it is cool cuz it's like James Bond or that crazy lab in Resident Evil. But I always got kinda weirded out about drinking water where monsters and abominations have been...you know...spawning... Remind me why you guys did that."

Zelda explained, "The well, along with many other underground compartments here, originally was connected to the Shadow Temple ages ago, but before the Sheikah deserted this place, they destroyed the connecting tunnels to prevent anyone from entering. The ensuing destruction of one of the tunnels was near an underground stream that branched from Zora River. The water swallowed up the whole well."

Con poked at the well, oblivious to the apprehensive guards eyeing his movements.

"Then why is there no water now?"

Garcian replied for the princess, "The whole region has been suffering from geographic instability for a long time. An earthquake probably affected a faultline and caused the water to drain deeper into the earth."

Zelda added, "That is one truth. Another factor was the Zoras damming up the river years ago. They blocked the flow after the smiling ones befouled the water to prevent sickness and outbreak."

"Ah...." Con hummed as he put his head to the ground. "Uh oh, I feel a disturbance. A lot of rumbling and explosions."

Garcian pushed himself off the wall. "Kevin's coming?"

"Yep sounds like it. Ow! Hey-!"

The guards pushed Con away from the well and readied their spears. They cautiously waited.

"AHAHAHAHAHA!"

A smile grabbed the edge of the well. Its hand then turned into dust. A pale arm lashed to the stone brim. A whole body followed. And Kevin held his knife in the air with victory.

Zelda formally moved the guards away and the assassins resumed their reunion once again. Link followed the group on their way to some resting quarters to catch up on things. Zelda stood next to the hero. "Glad to see you made it this far." Link sheepishly smiled and contently sighed.

Kevin made the crowd stop for a moment upon seeing the Sheikah from which he borrowed the weapon. He held out the used dagger to the soldier. The Sheikah looked down at it and back to the Smith. He held his hand up.

"No thank you. You keep it. I have a feeling you might need it more than me."

Kevin studied the man giving up his blade and politely bowed. The small parade carried on into one of the houses. And, after seven years, the mountain finally returned to peace once again.


	30. Webs

Chapter 28:

Webs

During Link's journey in the Shadow Temple...

Garcian, Con, and Mask spent the rest of the day helping the army set camp in the liberated village of Kakariko. Some of the troops were charged with immediately clearing up the rubbled remains of houses to make room for campsites and tents. What few standing structures still existed the soldiers threw tarps over to make temporary shelters.

Con ran around the area holding onto a wheelbarrel like a rickshaw. Mask performed his typical task of heavy lifting. Both of the freed assassins stayed busy as much as possible for the sake of the resistance.

Con listened to everyone either run around or work in clusters to assemble stations before anything else could happen. He always knew where Mask was by sound and scent. His former leader, Garcian, on the other hand, he could not sense within the village. As soon as he delivered his load of dirt to the designated pile, he pulled his wheelbarrel over to Mask's workplace.

"Is Garcian still hanging with the commander chick?"

Mask replied, "You mean Commander Zelda. And yes, he is with her in the land behind the village I believe."

Con sulked, "That's messed up! We're working our asses off and he's flirting with a chick!"

Mask corrected his friend, "He's doing what he does best, Con. Diplomacy. And that is something we seriously need if we want to succeed in our mission. Besides, he's concerned with the temple nearby and who Senior Link will be releasing next."

Con poked his head closer but kept it out of Mask's way.

"Oh yeah, that's right. I never did see Link though...Who do you think is in there?"

"The temple? Well, we don't have much to guess on. There's only four left to choose."

Con professed. "I hope it's Coyote!"

Mask shook his head, "Somehow, I seriously doubt that."

"Why?"

"Think about it, kid. This place is a dump. Aside from the ranch and Goron City, there is no town for miles. And until we got here, smiles were all over the place. Why would Coyote hang around here?"

Con retorted, "Well, I didn't expect to be in a forest full of monsters, weird elf kids, and talking trees. But that's where I was. And you ended up at the top of a volcano! Explain that!"

Mask stopped and brooded on that fact. "You do have a point there. But still, if Coyote were here, I think we would have seen evidence of him. And I've found nothing."

Con dropped his head. "Oh shit!...I just realized something." he straightened back up, What if it's...._him_...in there?"

"You mean-" Mask implied.

Con stiffened and twisted his face at the thought of anyone bringing back the man he despised so much. He knew it would only be a matter of time but he did not expect his arrival so soon. The marks were there, though. All of the demolished stuff could be from using that power the man had.

Mask sensed the tension and curved it with a simple, "We can only wait and find out, amigo."

Garcian watched Zelda pace around the old graveyard and examine the head stones. Hylian guards lined the perimeter while Sheikah patrolled the tree-tops. The two leaders still carried conversations while she worked. Despite the shell-shock and culture-shock, Garcian still managed to keep up with most of the information his surroundings fed him. At the moment, it was night time and

Garcian strode closer to Zelda, "I meant to ask this earlier, but what are these temples like? I know you told me there are six of them. But I'm curious as to what purpose they serve and why it's so difficult to extract my friends out of them."

Zelda stood up and walked with Garcian. "Centuries ago, before Hyrule became a country, six kingdoms fought wars over the region."

Garcian deduced, "I assume these six regions are the six races of Hyrule. Right?"

"Yes. The Hylians, the Kokiri, the Gorons, the Zoras, the Sheikah, and the Gerudo. They all ruled their respective territories and fought to expand them. Originally, the temples were simple places to worship and speak with the spirits. But our ancestors expanded upon the temples to create sanctuaries to protect their people and possessions from raiders or disasters."

"So, essentially, they were bomb shelters." Garcian inquired.

"That's right. But as the years passed, the temples evolved into massive fortresses from people installing traps and animals breeding within them. The only exception was the Temple of Time, which is the temple in Hyrule Castle. Since the Hylians had one of the strongest armies at the time, my ancestors apparently did not feel the need to build onto their sacred house. Now, if I could go back in time to that age, I would try to change their minds."

"With all the knowledge we have now, I would probably help you on that venture."

Zelda silently smiled at the remark. She reverted the conversation back to the subject of their current location.

"When the Sheikah lived in Kakariko back then, they relied on the stealth as their primary defense against any aggressive forces. Under this whole village is a series of secret passages and tunnels the Sheikah used to hide and navigate through this place and set up formations. There are only two entraces to the village. Therefore, if the Sheikah lured the offenders deep enough in here, they could trap the force and take them out."

"Amazing." Garcian looked around and envisioned the warriors in action as they may have moved back then.

"Even below this graveyard are a few old chambers from those days." Zelda pointed out.

"I take it that's why we're here." Garcian assumed.

Zelda nodded, "Link told me once that there was a fairy fountain hidden under one of these graves. If I can find it, I hope to seek some answers."

Garcian helped her look at the grave stones. "Is there any way of telling which one it is?"

Zelda replied, "Sadly no. I thought perhaps Link would have marked it. I suppose he kept it blank to prevent anyone else from finding it."

Garcian noticed something sticking out of the ground in front of one grave stone. He knelt down and studied the object. It looked like some kind of lantern. Garcian pulled it out of the earth and dusted it off. His eyes widened. It was the lamp light he saw every time he entered Harman's room. A thousand memories revolved around the broken thing. They all left a lump in his stomach.

Zelda interrupted Garcian's painful flashbacks. "That's strange. I never saw that before." She guided her hands down the head stone and noticed a broken metal mount at the top ot it. "I think this may be it!"

Zelda grabbed hold of the edges and tried to pull the grave back. Garcian helped push it. Eventually his nearly lost his footing to a large, square hole in the ground. Zelda helped him back up.

"Commander? What are you doing?" one of the guards asked.

Zelda assured them, "It's alright. I know what I'm doing. Keep watch over the graveyard for me."

"But, Commander--!"

Zelda dropped down into the hole. Garcian followed suit a minute later. They landed softly next to a glowing tile encrusted with arcane imagery. They walked deeper into the cave. The walls shifted from black earth of green wallpaper. And something manifested from red dust. Garcian felt his heart skip at the sight of the red-headed woman.

Zelda aimed her halberd at the stranger. "Identify yourself!"

"My, my. And Master said _I_ was a firecracker."

"Samantha! What are you doing here?" Garcian exclaimed.

Samantha smiled, "Oh, Garcie, is that any way to treat an old friend?"

Zelda asked, "You know this woman?"

Samantha intervened, "I am Samantha Smith, member and caretaker of the Smith assassins."

"Caretaker?"

Garcian spoke up, "Samantha worked for my former exployer, the original leader of the Smiths. But that still doesn't explain why she's here."

"I'm here because Master sent me to help you."

"To help us?"

Samantha filled Garcian and Zelda in the current events. She explained to them about how her "Master" sent out the remnant psyches to help Link deal with the temples and how she took over the fairy fountains because the Great Fairies were gradually dying out. She told them that she already met Link on the mountain and that he was still in the Shadow Temple with the sages.

Garcian stated, "That still doesn't explain why Link is doing my job. I should be the one handling the Heaven Smile. It was the whole reason why the Smith Syndicate exists: to leave the work to the professionals."

Samantha stepped out of the little pool and asked, "Do you know why Kun Lan is here in the first place?"

Garcian recalled, "We believe the terrorist known as Ganondorf may have given him the Triforce of Power."

Zelda added on, "We think Ganondorf may have given Kun Lan the Triforce of Power in order to escape his prison."

Samantha explained, "Both of you are right to a certain extent... from what I have learned, the Triforce was a source of power created by the three goddesses that created this world. At least, that is what the legends say. Correct?"

Zelda was astonished at the woman's knowledge of Hyrule. "Yes, that is correct. But how do you know all of that?"

Samantha leaned on a wall, "You don't do jobs like this without doing some homework. The psyches relay information for me. I've also made a few friends here and there. All roads lead to me when it comes to knowledge, one way or another."

Garcian directed Samantha, "You mind making sense now?"

Samantha went on, "The Triforce separated when your Ganondorf touched it. When he did so, the Triforce split apart because his soul was not balanced enough. He only got the power part while hero-boy got courage and Princess Peach here got wisdom."

Zelda scowled when Samantha pointed at her, "Yes, that's right. But I do not follow why you are telling us this."

Garcian firmly ordered Samantha, "Get to the point!"

Samantha took a breath and stretched her arms, "Master thinks that Kun getting a piece of the Triforce was not just coincidence."

Garcian kept his solemn demeanor. "What do you mean?"

Samantha paced around the cave, "He has a theory that the Triforce of Power may have made itself present in your world for certain reasons."

"And those reasons are?"

"The God powers that you, Master, and Kun Lan share. The Trifecta. Master believes that the power of the Triforce may parallel with the God powers."

Zelda struggled to register all of the revelations, "I don't understand what you people are talking about. What power do you mean?"

Garcian replied, "The God powers are what powers both Kun Lan and the assassins. Kun Lan has the God Hand, while our former employer carried the power of the God Killer. The assassins carry bits of the God Killer within us to see and defeat the Heaven Smile."

Samantha reminded him, "But you carry the most out of all of the Seven, Garcie my dear. It makes sense, though. The powers of both worlds triangulate on this map. Kun Lan and Ganondorf are the catalysts of chaos. Master and our Lady Commander are the gatekeepers of humanity. And Link's power is that of the third-eye. The Ultimate pawn."

Garcian scowled a little at the thought of being called a pawn. However, Samantha's words made sense. It was just still a little hard to swallow the idea of the one he once called Master forming a plan and making himself known through the channels. Chills crept throughout his body. He crawled back into himself enough to talk.

"And what does all of this have to do with denying me a hand in this problem?"

Samantha still spoke, "The ruling forces of this world are rejecting the forces of our world. Kun Lan and Ganondorf are tearing this place a new one in more ways than one. Hyrule treats them like a virus because of it. We're not meant to be here either because our forced and unnatural presence pollutes this place. But the forces of Hyrule see us as the cure to the cancer because of our knowledge, thus ensuring our secured stay here until our mission is complete. However, since Link has the Triforce of Courage and has saved this world once before, the gods and Master looked favorably upon him for the job on the basis of skill and experience. Don't feel bad, Garcie. It's not you. It's them."

Zelda protested, "And are we not right for doing so? Link has saved countless lives over the course of just three days."

"Now, now, I never said anything like that." Samantha mused, "I'm merely pointing out the truth."

Garcian asked, "What should we do then? If Ma--I mean, Harman-- has some kind of strategy, then what does he want us to do?"

"Simple," Samantha spoke cooly, "lay low and let your hero handle the dirty work. He's brought in the most progress. Leave him and his friends to their own devices. Your job is to protect the innocents and all that. The only problems in your future are more possible smile attacks on the rebuilding towns."

"And what about you?" Garcian asked, "What do you plan to do?"

Samantha gestured to herself, "I do what I do best. Heal with one hand and hurt with the other. Which reminds me..."

A bright square flashed on the side wall. Garcian recognized it as a television screen and another pang of flashbacks stabbed his gut. The screen displayed the doctor studying a plant that looked like a mutant Venus-fly-trap. The red-eyed physician shifted his attention to the new audience.

Samantha casually greeted, "Hello, Doctor, how go the studies?"

The Doctor gave a thumbs-up and showed them something sticking out of the carnivorous plant's pot. It was a tube full of red liquid. The plant was surprisingly docile towards the Doctor as he pet it on the head.

"That's good to hear." Samantha cheered, "I need the two packages Master requested."

The Doctor turned around for a moment while his pet plant ate a couple of insects. He picked up what looked like two large thermoses and placed them on his examination table. He taped an eye dropper to each cannister and gave the "ok" signal. The cannisters fizzled off the screen and into Samantha's hands.

Garcian anxiously eyed the two objects, "What are they?"

"Some remedies to your problems on behalf of Master. I can't perform miracles like your fairies; however, I am in a position to send aid whenever needed."

Samantha handed one of the containers to Garcian. A label stuck to it said 'SYNDROME INHIBITOR'. "This is for your water supply. Place a few drops in anything you deem drinkable. This is a temporary solution to the water problem until Link can get into the temple under the lake."

Samantha gave Zelda the other container, which read 'EYE DROPS' but had a picture of three eyes above the name. She explained, "These are for your soldiers. Put only one drop per eye. Two drops per person (unless they've been in some accidents). There is only so much solution, so I advise being selective on whom you administer these to."

Zelda asked, "What do they do?"

Samantha replied, "Oh, you'll know soon enough. Let's just say, it'll give them some clarity and focus in battle."

Garcian and Zelda looked at each other at that thought and sensed each other cringe.

Samantha went on to inform them. "The effect of the eye drops are also temporary. However, they will last pretty long."

"How long?"

"As long as there are smiles to wipe away."

Garcian then realized what the eye drops were for. Excitement and fear welled up within him at the same time. They will come in handy, but part of him was afraid of using them on other people.

A beeping noise bounced off the walls from the television. A red ALERT sign spanned across the screen. Samantha immediately switched from the B channel to 1. They saw a strange woman running across a barren field with hundreds of smiles lashing out after her. Zelda gasped at the sight.

"Impa!"

"Impa? You mean the Sage of the Shadow Temple?"

"Yes! What's happening to her?" Zelda watched the screen as Impa fought against the inhuman horde.

"They're going through Kevin's world right now." Samantha spoke. The redhead changed her outfit in a flash from a torn maid costume to the casual attire that accented her fiery temper. She carried a whole cache of weapons and explosives.

Garcian asked her, "Where are you going?"

Samantha told him, "My bat signal's just been flashed. I gotta go help her. I'll catch you people later. Remember: only a couple of drops!"

With those last words, Samantha dissolved into red dust and appeared on the screen to help Impa. She threw out grenades and plowed through the crowd. Impa regained her bearings and joined the red maiden in their battle against everything else present. Garcian and Zelda watched as they fought.

"I hope she'll be okay."

"Who, Samantha or Impa?"

"Well...both I suppose. But I must admit, Garcian, you have some very strange friends."

"You're telling me."


	31. Octopus

Chapter 29:

Octopus

Three days after the liberation of the Shadow Temple...

Link studied the river bank in Hyrule Field. A large motley crew joined him in surveying the surroundings. Betrum, his carpenters, three of the Smith assassins, Professor Hoshi from Lake Hylia, King Zora, his attendants, and over a dozen Hylian guards littered the region outside of Kakariko Village. Their investigation: Zora River. Link's next mission automatically was to enter the Water Temple and free the assassin trapped within. With this mission came the issues regarding the drought and the Zoras.

When the Heaven Smile invaded Hyrule, the creatures infiltrated the Zora Domain and attacked everything in sight. The Zoras actually gained the upper hand against the smiles due to their knowledge of aquatic warfare and Lake Hylia at their disposal. Kun Lan and Gannondorf changed their tactics after seeing the accumulated losses. The Hylians joined up with the Zora and helped them in battle in exchange for refuge. Upon learning these actions, the enemy switched its tactics to an attack no one expected: biological warfare.

Hyrule's water system consisted of a cyclical flow of water known as "the circle of life". The river flowed out of Zora domain, into Hyrule Castle, into the western woods, down Gerudo Valley, into Lake Hylia and back up north through the Kokiri Forest, only to be filtered and recycled again. The river was deemed the circle of life because nearly every living creature in Hyrule depended on it for their needs, especially the Zoras. If something bad happened to the circle, everyone was in danger. And bad things did happen.

Professor Hoshi hobbled around and told the story, "I remember it all too clearly. Everything got quiet after the last battle the Zoras and the Hylians fought with the creatures. For a couple of weeks, they had peaceful mornings and evenings. They couldn't enjoy them though. They were still waiting for another attack to come around the corner. Then _it_ started happening!

"The Zoras and the Hylians were getting sick. At first it was a mere cough or a mild case of salt-water sickness. But then _everyone_ was falling ill. I remember King Zora's men sending me their ailing ones by the boat-load and begging me to find the cure! I was up to my eyeballs in sick men, women, and children! I took a bunch of water samples from the lake, the domain, and the waterfall that poured from the Valley. Eventually, I studied the samples and discovered a _bacteria_ growing in the water. And it was _everywhere_!

"And this was no oridnary bacteria either. At first I tried some simple tests like seeing how the bacteria endured the elements. I sent a sample to the ice caverns. But the sample _would not freeze!_ Even more, the Zoras told me the ice cavern was gradually melting because of this organism was too active to turn to ice!"

Con exclaimed, "Holy shit! That's insane!"

The Professor asked Con, "Do you know what happened when I tried to _boil_ the bacteria out?"

Con leaned in so attentively, "What happened?"

"It EXPLODED!"

"WHAT?"

"The bacteria reacted to heat by charging the water to a state of volatility. When the temperature reach over 300 degrees, the pot of water _combusted_!"

"No way! Seriously?"

"The experiment was a tragedy. Not only did I fail to find a solution, but the explosion maimed six people with second degree burns and nearly destroyed my laboratory!"

"This is all so fuckin nuts, man! Guys, do you realize what this means?"

"Que es, Con?" Mask asked.

"It means Kun Lan is the cause of global warming!"

"Really? You think so?"

"It all makes sense! The ice caps melting! The hot temperatures! The reason why everyone is an asshole in our world!"

Professor Hoshi interrupted, "I'm sorry, but what is Global Warming?"

Link contemplated with the Sages about the virus polluting the water. Ruto was the most concerned. Impa, Saria, and Rauru were worried as well. The water system in its state risked poisoning the people they swore to protect.

Professor Hoshi interjected, "But anyway, the worst part about the bacteria didn't even happen yet. It was only after a week full of ill people did the _real_ trouble come. Some people in the domain noticed friends and family members acting strange. They started laughing maniacally as if taken by dementia. Then it happened. One day in the domain, five people exploded at the same time, killing a bunch of Hylians and Zora! It was terrible! It threw everyone into a panic!"

King Zora voiced his view while he sat in his tub on a wagon, "I remember that day, indeed. Terrible losses for everyone. It was a sign of darker times, it was." A pair of attendants sponge-bathed him with water to keep him cool and hydrated.

Mask spoke up, "It sounds like Kun Lan touched the water with the God Hand and infected everyone with the Ulmeyda Syndrome."

Professor Hoshi asked, "What is Ulmeyda Syndrome?"

Mask explained, "Ulmeyda Syndrome is what happens when people are touched with the God Hand. They start going crazy, then boom. They turn into Heaven Smiles. The state of infection was named after a man named Andrei Ulmeyda who tried to cure all of our world's diseases but was infected with the blood of a Heaven Smile."

"Did he ever cure it?" Professor Hoshi asked.

"Sadly, no. He died shortly after."

"That's a shame."

"Indeed, it is."

"It's a good thing we took him out while he was a fresh one." Con blurted out."I beg your pardon?" Professor Hoshi eyeballed the teenage boy.

Mask explained in a more subtle manner. "Due to Senior Ulmeyda's volatile reaction to the God Hand, we were forced to dispatch him immediately before he could become a real threat."

"Oh, I see. Sounds terrible." Professor Hoshi rubbed his chin.

"The man went peacefully, I'm happy to say."

"How would you know?" Con remarked, "Coyote was the one who shot him down."

Mask nudged Con into a ditch.

"Ow! What the hell!"

"Oh, los sientos, Con. Mi malo!"

Link strolled up the dead stream towards Zora River. The man-made waterway looked like an old, open sore of sorts in the earth. All of the water was gone and had left a dried up trench. When the people in the Ulmeyda Syndrome broke out in the Domain, the Zora immediately blocked the waterflow to prevent the outbreak from reaching the outside world. The remaining people built a series of dams into the stream to keep anything from getting out. The smell of stagnant water still lingered.

Bertrum pointed while puffing on a pipe, "Yep, this brings back memories. I remember at least twelve of us working non-stop for three days until we had these bastards built. We had some Gorons on our crew helping us out. You could barely understand what the hell they were saying half the time but they were great workers. Since Gorons are afraid of water, they were pretty fast to help build these barriers up. Didn't want to be caught in a rain storm or anything like that. If that happened, the place would flood."

Mask asked, "How did you keep everything from flooding? With all the water and thunderstorms, it's bound to happen."

"There's an additional little gutter dug into the the center of the ground. We covered it up with stone to keep it from accumulating. The excess runs off into some underground subsidies."

Kevin's head popped up from the ditch. He raised one hand that held a human skull while another held a couple of rupees.

Betrum pointed at Kevin and chuckled, "Looks like Mr. Mute made himself a little money."

Kevin climbed out of the of empty river bed. He wore a Sheikah tunic as a simple shirt. Link remembered Kevin explaining he had a condition where he had to avoid direct sunlight. Link and everyone else thought it was strange. But Garcian and Mask assured that it was normal for Kevin. Link shrugged it off as some sort of symptom that came with being in the Shadow Temple for too long.

Professor Hoshi examined the skull Kevin held. "Hmmmm....looks like one from a stalchild. Not as common as they used to be. The smiles destroy most of them. But it's not uncommon either."

Ando rode outside on a horse and stopped at King Zora's wagon.

"Your highness, we need to get Link into Zora Domain as soon as possible."

"How bad is it back there?"

"The scouts report a heavy infestation of creatures. However, Commander Zelda believes Link should be able get past them."

"Then we shall go."

The carpenters started Link's new journey off by rigging up some bombs and blowing away the main blockade to Zora River. Link already sensed evil in the place after noticing iridescent tentacles growing off the river bed and the smell of poisonous water beginning to amplify. The group stopped at the next wall and Link saw more roots latched onto trees and rocky surfaces.

The carpenters blew away another wall. Link remembered their current location to be where the bean merchant used to sell his magic beans. And next to him would be a patch of dirt Link grew a magic plant. Link looked down and next to his feet was a what looked liked a withered weed. He deduced that river was infected the same way as the forest. The river may have even helped spread the infection to the forest if the secret passage was still open. Either way, he predicted the same scenario of fighting large baba monsters, wolfos, and octorocks when he reached the domain entrance.

Bertrum ordered his men to blast away one more wall. Link finally saw the bigger picture that was Zora River. Hundreds of roots and wines encrusted on ledges. Moss, baba, and tainted scrubs ate away at everything while dark water turned the river into a swamp. Tainted skullfish, octorocks, like-likes, sting-rays, and biri made themselves at home in the water. Link could not held but think of the Southern Swamp when seeing river in its terrible state.

Link looked back down at the dying magic plant and snapped his fingers to Jiro, one of the carpenters. Link pointed to the cantine at Jiro's hip. Jiro was puzzled but handed Link the bottle anyway. Link graciously took it and produced a jar with some of the blue liquid Samantha ordered to add to any water source. He added a couple of extra drops into Jiro's water and shook the concoction together.

"Hey!" Jiro exclaimed.

Link poured the substance on the plant. A moment later, a shade of light green bleached out the dried-blood color and the strange blossom shot back out, followed by a flush of fresh leaves. Everyone watched the magic plant return to life.

"Ooooooooooh!"

Link turned around and handed Jiro his cantine back and ordered the group to leave. Professor Hoshi asked, "Are you sure you want to do this alone?" Link nodded and shooed the people away so he could get started. They all left with their eyes over their shoulders. Link gave them a tumbs-up as they departed. There were still a few stray Sheikah hiding and scouting around, but Link assumed they would not interfere with anything as long as they stayed put.

Link took out his bow and stepped onto the magic bean plant. It hovered up and shot around in the air. Link spilled a few drops of the water purifier into the marshes and hoped for the best. He shot fire arrows into the unnatural growth and set it all on fire. The smoke flushed out the scrubs and spiders. Link easily dispatched them creatures as he flew towards the entrance.

BAM!

"AAAAAAAAH!"

Link fell off the floating plant. He landed on a rough patch of dirt and stray growth. The hero climbed back to his feet and looked at the current obstruction. A gigantic, mutant octorock guarded the entrance to Zora Domain. The octorock's many eyes glared down at Link. Its mouth was twisted into an unnatural smile like the deku scrubs.

WHAM!

The octo-smile assaulted Link with a wave of tentacles. He hid behind his shield and counter-attacked by cutting away at the tentacles. He tried to back away and threw a bomb at the monster. The octorock deflected the bomb and it detonated above Link.

BOOOOOOOOOM!

Ruto echoed in Link's mind. "Link, let me handle this."

Link held up the shield and backed away. He took out the ocarina with the other hand and carefully fingered it to play the Serenade of Water. Then his body burst into red dust. The dust reformed into a blue-skinned, four-eyed Zora with fins on her arms and legs. The Shield of Sages shrunk in size and became a round mirror of sorts while the Zora grasped onto a spear. Ruto of the Zora.

Ruto noticed the pool of water the octo-smile stewed in like a plant. The creature gargled a little cackle at her. She retaliated by dropping her weapons, approaching the pool, and raising her arm.

"This is not your home!"

From her body, Ruto summoned a thousand volts of electricity from her body. The power surged into the smiling octorock's body and shocked it until the monster's eyes bleached white.

BOOOOOOOM!

The octopus combusted.

Ruto picked up her arms. She climbed up some broken pillars and stone to reach the entrance. A mass of vines and leeching growth covered the passage. Ruto held up a hand and shocked the organisms away.

_Fire and brimstone are overrated._


	32. Shark

Chapter 30:

Shark

Ruto stared and lost herself in the transformation that Zora Domain had endured. The remaining water was violet in color and teaming with disturbing life forms. Heaven Smile blew holes in the walls and destroyed the magesty of it all. The digusting roots and incubating grounds of various aquatic predators mixed together and cluttered the whole main cave. She knew the fall happened and saw it in visions when her people escaped. But the damage was just too abysmal to shake off.

Ruto was the luckiest Sage out of the group because she managed to inform her people of the events happening before the darkness could truly affect them. The Hylians hindered the Zoras' exodus but eventually everyone fled the caverns, one way or the other. Then the monsters set in. And Zora Domain turned into a disease-ridden breeding ground.

"It's time to take back what is mine." Ruto declared and took out her weapons. The first order of business was to dispose of any unholy creature within the kingdom. The stingrays haunting the water seemed to be the least danger compared to tainted like-likes, more octopi, giant mussels, skull fish, and exploding jellyfish. There was much work to be done and Ruto would have to fight her way up the food chain before she could reclaim her kingdom.

"Hehehehahahaha."

Ruto looked to her right and saw a couple of Heaven Smile creep down the path. She growled and impaled both of them on her spear. A zap of electricity dissolved them to bits. The dispatching alarmed the other creatures and suddenly Ruto fell under attack.

Ruto kept to her plan of killing the monsters from weak to strong. She had a better chance of survival with just a few large creatures without the little swarms from the lessers. The only beasts she dispatched against her plan were the like-like-smiles, which were tainted like-likes that could swallow a person and detonate for an instant kill.

The sage skillfully shielded herself and stabbed away at her enemies until the heaven smile were the only ones left. Link mentally pointed out to her that replicator smiles will emits trails of heaven smile when close by. She still carefully inspected her former home. Her observations noted that the local shop was obviously empty and in ruin, the passage to Lake Hylia was still sealed off, and the heaven smile trailed from Zora Fountain.

Ruto proceeded to her second objective, which was to find two survivors that did not leave Zora Domain: Lord Jabu-Jabu and Ino, King Zora's caretaker and defacto heir to the throne. When the war of the Heaven Smile caused the sages to be re-awakened prematurely seven years before, young Ruto had no choice but to renounce her place as Princess and resume her position as the Sage of Water. King Zora, saddened by the "loss" of his daughter to duty but still obligated to his own, elected the daughter of his most trusted subject to be next in line to the throne. Ino. She was Ruto's childhood friend and honored the Zora code in even more ways than Ruto herself could do. Among the many duties of the Zora Princess, Ino became the priestess to Lord Jabu-Jabu, the other survivor left in the fountain.

The assassin witch Samantha told Link, and indirectly the Sages, that Ino chose to stay hidden in the fountain to care for Lord Jabu-Jabu, who was too large to be moved from his place but too sacred to be left behind. For protection and company, Ino had been visiting Samantha frequently while caring for the father of the Zora people. Lord Jabu-Jabu was another issue to investigate because Ino reported that he had been sick for some time and was getting worse by the day. Ruto and Link feared the worst as he could possibly be contracting the Smiling Sickness.

Ruto remembered the last time Lord Jabu-Jabu got sick was when Ganondorf impregnated him with Barinade and hundreds of dememnted sea creatures just for the Zora Sapphire. Link mentally shuddered at the first time he was sucked into the giant fish as well. The mission was bitter-sweet as it was the first time Ruto and Link had met.

Ruto paced herself up the throne room. The Heaven Smile met her every other minute coming from the fountain. Link reminded her she was getting closer when the smiles were more frequent. But then the pattern stopped. Ruto ran to the fountain before more came out.

The fountain was, was expected, in just as bad of shape as he rest of the place. The water was brown and murky and the smiles blew the landscape out of shape. The top of the waterfall guarding the domain was dammed up by debris and putrid-smelling mud with bits of waht looked like bone sticking out.

Ruto saw Lord Jabu-Jabu. Salt, barnacles, and burn wounds encrusted his body. The smiles and predators nearly destoryed his fins. His gills heaved and struggled to find clean water to breathe. Aging and despair eroded away at his eyes. A small piece of Ruto felt his sadness and rage mix a fierce torrent of emotion.

"I'm so sorry, Lord Jabu-Jabu."

Ruto held her arms out and hugged the front of the behemoth fish king. "If I had enough power, I would change all this."

Ruto's moments of sorrow were disrupted by the sound of splashing. She looked to the left of Lord Jabu-Jabu and saw something swim closer. A Zora of similar height and build to Ruto climbed out of the water with a bucket full of fish. Her body was a sickly gray color and blue veins striped her body. She coughed and drug the bucket towards Ruto and Lord Jabu-Jabu. She looked up and nearly spilled the fish out.

"A visitor!"

Ruto stared in horror at the sight of Ino, her old friend, lethargically stumble towards her in the closest walking fashion she could muster up. Ruto rushed to help her up. "Ino, it's been too long."

"Forgive me, highness. I did not think you would make it."

"I came as soon as I could. Everything will be fine now." Ruto humbly replied.

"I would hope so."

Ruto pulled Ino's arm over her and carried the fish bucket with the other hand. She set them down in front of Lord Jabu-Jabu.

Ruto remarked, "I can't believe you are the only one still here."

"I have my duties, highness. I must take care of Lord Jabu-Jabu."

Ruto resented the statement. She remembered when she was first re-awakened, she fell into a mild depression. She secretly was disdainful of being the princess because of the responsibilities that came with it. She especially despised being priestess to Lord Jabu-Jabu. It was a constant routine of tedium to her. It was only when she met Link for the first time did she find any enjoyment again in her life back then.

Then, suddenly, the memories of a parallel universe filled her mind and Rauru called her to serve with the Sages. The whole ordeal felt like a nightmare. She had memories of a life she never knew existed and only was peaceful when Link appeared to save the world. Her sadness deepened when she had to leave her homeland. She found out that her father was replacing her with Ino and resented them both for the longest time. It ached even more because Link was nowhere to be found to help stop the madness about to take over the world. It was only through hope and strength through the other Sages did those wounds heal.

"I'm opening the passage to Lake Hylia. But before I do that I need to know where the mother creature-"

"HRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"

Ruto and Ino looked at Lord Jabu-Jabu. His body rumbled and swelled up with shakey shrieks. Laughter.

"LOOK OUT!"

Ruto pulled Ino to the side instantly. They hid behind a rock and watched as the fish lord opened his mouth and vommit out a gigantic wave of smiles and jellyfish. The cackling demons slide and tumble around. The smiles all detonated and chucked meat everywhere. Blood and bile mixed with water and stained the ground with a sickly brown. Ruto was mortified. She mentally teetered on rage and the urge to throw up. She forced herself to step out from her hiding spot. Ino followed behind her.

"He keeps getting worse. He only did that once a week. But it's more frequent now. He purges more of those things out of his system everyday now. It's only a matter of time before the demons take him."

"No...they won't."

Ruto knew what she had to do. She was disguted at the idea, but she knew she had to do it. She took Ino's bucket of his fish dumped it out in front of the creature. It took Lord Jabu-Jabu a minute, but then he opened that massive trap of his. Ruto reluctantly marched into the belly of the beast.

It was obvious that Lord Jabu-Jabu's body sustained critical injuries. His mouth was raw and bleeding. The valves that opened and closed to the other chambers had been ripped apart. More smiles marched from the stomach region. Ruto killed them every time they crossed paths with her. Eventually, she reached the stomach region. She found the replicator.

The replicator latched itself to the inner wall of the stomach chamber and grew sixteen glowing bulbs while mass-producing offspring. Only ten of those spots were on the upper level. The remainig six were most-likely below her in the lower chamber. The head and torso dangled from the top of the room. Ruto glared at it with the fury of a hurricane.

Iwazaru appeared with his finger over his mouth, "I think you know what to do, Princess."

Iwazaru's presence caught Ruto off guard for a moment but she knew to expect him and his white friend to guide her to their proper destination. His words sunk in and brought her back to speed. Link and the Sages reminded her that the light arrows are the best way to kill replicators. Ruto agreed, "I'll show them the light alright."

Ruto took out two light arrows and broke the shafts off. She held the heads in each hand and pressed them into the wet stomach wall. And with all the energy she had, she released her her rage into the monster.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!

Ruto kept blasting electricity into the writhing replicator until she finally heard the pustules pop. The monster finally burst into dust, the residue of its existence dissolved in stomach acid.

Iwazaru mused, "Not exactly the most conventional way to kill a smile, but productive and mildly entertaining. For a peace-loving race, mermaid, I think I sense a little war streak in you."

Ruto kept her stalwart composure. "Are there anymore inside him?"

Iwazaru paused and looked around the room. "...nope. Not that I can tell."

Ruto exited the digestive system of her Lord and met with Ino.

"The work is done. Lord Jabu-Jabu has been purged."

Ino breathed a sigh and nodded. "What now? Will he be okay?"

Ruto replied, "He should be. It will take some time. But I think he will be okay."

She remembered the water purifier and gave Ino the bottle.

"Pour this into the water, preferably behind the Lord. After that, keep near the Great Fairy's fountain until it's safe again."

Ino gazed at the metal container and followed her orders.

Ruto strolled down to the Zora shop and searched old boxes and containers for goods. She sat outside on the shallow ground and drank an old green potion to return her stamina. Iwazaru and Kikazaru appeared.

Iwazaru hovered and spoke with his coarse, tinney"Where to next, Princess?"

"There." Ruto pointed out to an old door at the bottom of the old Zora grotto. "That is a special passageway we Zora use to reach Lake Hylia and the Water Temple. It's a straight shot from here."

"How convenient. If only the other temples had short cuts like that."

Ruto silently watched Kikazaru wiggle around and pick up a dead fish. She understood Saria's feelings against the two ghosts. She heard some of the story of the assassins through her mental link with her father. But no one had mentioned anything about their strange little friends outside the freed assassins themselves. Even then, they seem to say nothing about them either. Like the other Sages, Ruto hoped that more sides to the story would unfold. But it felt like the foreigners were holding a lot back.

"Are we waiting on something?" Iwazaru prodded.

Ruto snapped back into reality. The Zarus stared at her attentively. "Alright, stop gawking!"

Ruto dropped the bottle and stepped into the water. The old breeding pool still lingered with possible disease. However, Ruto predicted she would have to get used to it with Lake Hylia ahead of her. She produced the Zora Sapphire. A magic seal similar to the Hyrule Castle bridge illuminated on the stone door. A minute passed and nothing happened. Kikazaru sniffed at the seal. Iwazaru rubbed his chin, "I think it might be broken."

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

Rumbling. Echoes. Water.

Kikzaru gave a muffled squeal and ran behind them. The door slowly opened and filled the grotto with more tainted water. Ruto fought the current and swam into the darkness. The Zora sapphire kept glowing and Ruto swam towards a faint light.

Ruto sensed she was in Laky Hylia when the concentration of smile sickness in the broad region of water. Shadows loomed and floated by in the dimly lit space. Ruto made haste and spared not a second to reach the Water Temple. She navigated past massive obstruction Link connected to be the foreign buildings that always littered a region when a temple was near. Eventually she saw the large island that the temple hid below.

Behind her, Ruto sensed large, menacing forces following behind her. She swam as fast as she could. She felt the distrubance in the water. They were getting closer. She held her spear and summoned and charged an electric shield around her. A massive, mutant leviathan was nearly licking at her feet. The electricity fought it back until eventually, they were all swallowed by darkness.


	33. Water Temple

Chapter 31:

Water Temple

Ruto felt herself become overwhelmed in a deeper sense of unfamiliarity as she journey deeper down a tunnel. The entrance was not supposed to be so long. It only spanned a few feet and lead the explorer to the third floor. But all she saw was darkness.

The Zarus appeared and swam next to her. Iwazaru darted ahead of the group in a Hylian-swimmer fashion. Ruto watched Kikzaru paddle above her. She thought it looked a little disturbing since his black mask made it look like a headless ghost was trying to follow them.

"We're getting closer." Iwazaru's voice mentally echoed.

Ruto felt a pull of sorts in the current. She then spotted a rectangular portal of light above a grate with darkness behind it. Ruto took out the longshot and launched it at the top of the grate. The chain yanked her forward and she grabbed the ledge and climbed out the the current. She followed the pathway to a drop into a bigger chamber.

The whole main chamber was a strange tower of sorts, surrounded by gears, machines, strange fish, and a pit of darkness below. Unusual murals depicting battles or and murder covered the walls and floors. All in a shade of blue. Link expected many switches and puzzles when entering water-related temples. Ruto was not sure what to expect.

Iwazaru hovered and raised his arms, "Welcome to the house of Barefoot. An underwater castle of the jaded princess."

Ruto watched as everything moved around like time was out of sync. Slow. Distorted.

"How disturbing."Ruto remarked. "Your assassin friends are quite morbid people, Iwazaru."

Iwazaru chided, "That's stating the obvious."

Ruto looked down and studied the mural she stood on. It was a religious looking mural of a various people and symbols posed in movement. Among all the objects was a short-haired woman painted in the center, curled up with her eyes closed. Iwazaru pointed to her. "She is who we are after.

"Kaede Smith, aka Barefoot. She specializes in long-ranged weaponry, infiltration, and...supernatural phenomena. Next to Four-Eyes, Barefoot is the most intelligent member of the assassins. A modern-day kunoichi. Not much is known about her past before she joined the assassins except that her brother, in a misguided act of loyalty, shot her to protect something he believed in. The old man recruited Barefoot into the Syndicate because, deep down, he knew there was a killer inside her. She was torn between her beliefs and her desires. But from the hardship and conflict, Barefoot rose like a bood-thirsty phoenix ready to stick her talons in the eyes of her enemies."

Ruto inquired,"Why do you call her Barefoot then?"

"She was famous for walking barefoot into battle."

"What's so special about that? I do it all the time."

"That you do, princess. That you do."

"When the assassins got separated in their world, she hid herself deep in her own little world away from the normal one, only to come out when there was a target to take out. It's probably why she is under a giant fuckin lake. She's in her own little world. And we gotta tear into it to reach her."

"Feh, good luck with that." A voice said from behind.

Ruto and Iwazaru turned around. Two old, foreign men stood behind them wearing dark, foreign three-piece suits and sullen expressions on their faces. They spoke in the tinney, raspy voice that all the other remnant psyches.

"Hey! Kurahashi? Akiba? What the fuck are you guys doing here?" Iwazaru exclaimed.

The first man spoke, "We were sent here by your superiors to watch over this hellhole and help you take out Smith."

The second man spoke, "But this mission is a failure. A bust. The enemy has her locked so deep the entire Japanese military can't get her out. We can't even get through the fuckin front door without water oni trying to get revenge for us eating their children with rice and vinegar. Fuckin bastards..."

Ruto stared at the strange men. She felt herself flood with outrage and annoyance with the two. She had no idea which one to feel first.

"You think you have balls to try to enter the tower? Then go ahead. Try. We're done here. We quit. We're cutting our losses and walking away."

Iwazaru shouted, "What the hell do you mean you quit? You work for us! The only reason you're here is because we say so!"

Kurahashi yelled back, "Oh well! Back to hell we go! At least there's sake down there, you cheap freak baka! Tell that red-head American bitch we quit!"

Ruto snapped. "How rude! What kind of man abandons his post! Are you truly so irresponsible? So crass?"

"Yes! Yes we are!"

"BASTARDS!" Iwazaru shouted. "TRAITORS! BOTH OF YOU!"

"Fuck off! You can tell that to your little white friend too! The dumbass keeps scratching that damned cage up there!"

"Cage?" Ruto asked. She looked up and saw a large, solid, iron cage hanging above them all. The cage looked more like a round coffin. Kikazaru clung to it and made it swing. She noticed the chain holding up the cage. It looked like a bomb could destroy it.

Ruto pulled a black bomb out and struggled to ignite it. As soon as the bomb lit up, Ruto threw it into the air with all her strength.

BOOOOOOOOOM!

ERRRRRRRR!

Ruto ran away.

DOOOOOOOOM!

The cage menacingly on the top of the tower. Kikazaru pounced on the metal box and tried to shake it. Ruto cautiously examined it while Iwazaru warned her, "I don't think you want to do that, Princess."

Ruto turned around, "Why? Or is there something you need to tell me?"

Iwazaru was stilled. "Errrrrrr...."

"I order you to speak, spirit! Tell me what's in this thing!"

"Open it and find out for yourself!"

Ruto glared at Iwazaru, "If this is some sort of trap, I'm leaving you here."

"Oh, like that's really possible." Iwazaru scoffed.

Ruto rolled her eyes and studied the cage door. There was a picture on it of a woman with a stream of water coming from her hands.

"So all I have to do is summon water? That sounds simple enough."

"Actually...that's not water coming from her."

Ruto looked at the door again. She then realized what it was.

"You're kidding me..."

"Nope."

"You mean I have to-"

"Yep."

"Do we _really_ have to do this?"

Iwazaru sighed, "I don't want to...Sweet Harman, I don't want to...But _she_ might be able to help us in our little journey."

"She?" Ruto inquired.

"Just do the damn ritual!"

Ruto stared at the picture. Apprehension welled up in her. She endured scrapes and bruises before but she never purposely inflicted pain upon herself. She took her spear and held it to her wrist.

"Do it!" Iwazaru hissed.

Ruto tightly closed her eyes and drug the spear head across her wrist. Blue blood pooled from the incision and spilled on the floor. Then it seeped into the cracks of the cage. The door flew open. Ruto staggered backward.

A pair of burgundy hands protruded from the darkness. They pulled out the female creature Ruto saw in the mural. Trapped in dark red bondage from head to toe. Black, messy hair surrounded her face while a violet blindfold covered her eyes. Her face was pale like Iwazaru but she had a small red mouth, free from choke or gag. She fell to the floor, babeling nonsense and crawling on her hands and knees. Her tainted, child-like voice echoed shaken words in the air.

"IneverthoughtIwouldseethedaythedaywhenthesunwentawayandthemoondiedingravity'sswaytheworldbledbeneathmyfeetandthatbastardsowickedIdidmeettheonemymistressdidhecheat.."

"Woman! Snap out of it!"

The female froze, "I saw a sight I thought I'd never see...Is that you, anata?"

"Anata nothing, woman. Get up and help us!"

The girl shivered as she summoned the strength to balance herself onto her feet.

Ruto asked, "Who are you?"

Iwazaru replied, "Mizaru. Barefoot's pet guardian and one of us."

"She had a guardian spirit?" Ruto stared at the dazed creature that now played with Kikazaru.

"The Lady Smith was gifted with powers of the supernatural, specifically, the power to speak with the dead. She is, in a sense, the reason why all the Smiths can see the remnant psyches. During a mission years ago, Barefoot obtained Mizaru as a guardian and became our 'sister'."

Mizaru hissed, "Is that what you call me now, anata? Your...sister?"

Iwazaru, "Now's not the time for foolishness, woman! We're trapped down here because we were sent to awaken your Mistress! Now tell us where we can find her!"

Mizaru gasped. She covered her mouth with her little gripped fists. "I remember now!...Mistress!" Her fists unraveled and covered her face. She wailed like a siren.

"Oh cut the crap already!" Iwazaru demanded.

Mizaru shivered. "I was lost for the longest time! It was that incident at the school! The shadow smiles! Mistress could not stop them!...Then...darkness!...I was lost...It was silent...I could not find anyone....The only thing I heard...was that laughing! THAT DAMNED LAUGHING!...Then something happened...A force...it pulled me out the darkness and into water. It kept pulling me deeper and deeper...Then I saw Mistress again! But she was silent...Then I saw their faces!...The evil ones!..And the leader!...He put Mistress away...I cried out for her. I told him, 'You will never get away with this!' I said. 'I won't let you take her away!' He smiled at me. I told him, 'You can't kill me! I will only come back! We always do!'....He threw me in there. He said I will spend an eternity hanging at the top of the tower, always out of reach. Helpless..."

"Touching." Iwazaru spoke sardonically. "But now you're free and we have to awaken your Mistress or else we are all going to burn in the laughing pits of a smiling hell."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Seriously?"

"YES ALREADY!"

"Then we must hurry! He already senses us."

"Kun Lan?" Iwazaru shifted his head around.

"No...His pet."

Mizaru pointed to the massive shadow that had been looming in the dark water since they arrived. Ruto had been watching it the whole time, waiting for the beast to make itself known. Mizaru approached the mural. She pointed at the picture of Kaede and opened a square hole into the tower. Everyone dropped into it before the sea beast leapt out of the water.

DOOOM!

The echo of a shutting door and the sliding behemoth lingered shortly and died. Ruto and the Zarus observed their current surroundings. It was a large room with patches of iron fencing. Gurgling, hissing, and laughter lingered from them. Link predicted to Ruto that, chances were, the iron fencing was actually a couple of gates and she was going to battle something momentarily. Ruto noted his words and kept her hands close to her weapons.

Mizaru spoke up, "I heard a message from the ancient ones of this temple. They say that this place is a symbol of Mistress' inner thoughts. She is suffering in silence in this trap. But to reach the heart of the temple, you need to reach her heart first."

Iwazaru scoffed, "Of course, because it has to be like a sappy fairy tale. Save the princess and live happily ever after. All she needs to complete the cesspool of estrogen is a fuckin red tide!"

Mizaru slapped Iwazaru, "Baka! Mistress knows we're in here! She has manipulated the wicked man's tricks to make it easier for us and I won't let you ruin her good name!"

"FUCK YOU-- Wait...what are you talking about?"

"The spirits say that Mistress found a loophole in the demon man's plans. They say she let herself be captured. And she personally created this dungeon for us. Because of that, Kun Lan did not feel the need to be so secure with her as he has been with the others. So Mistress had more control. But she still had to deal with the God Hand's power. Before it could take over her, she created this place to be complex anough to keep whatever evil in here trapped and to let the Smiths easily enter it to execute their mission.

"Oh yeah. Real successful in that endeavor..." Iwazaru snided.

"Shut up! You're not much help either!"

"We're all you got!"

"Then shut up and listen! It's important!"

Kikazaru tackled Iwazaru and wrapped his arms around his face.

"The trick to getting to my Mistress is to get through the other assassins. Each floor represents an assassin. She resides on the fourth floor. The pathway represents the transition from floor to floor, assassin to assassin. The ones Mistress values the most will lead you to her."

Mizaru pointed to a painting across the chamber of a pale foreigner with dark hair and eyes of rage. He stood on top of a pile of bodies. "This is the chamber of the Hellion. Althought Mistress considers the Smith Syndicate a family, she despised the Hellion the most for many reasons. He is the outer-most layer of Mistress' tower."

Ruto asked, "What do we have to do here?"

Mizaru directed them to the grating, "Simple...Be the victor."

The gates opened up. Hordes of Heaven Smile and aquatic creatures poured out from the nooks. Ruto unleashed her spear and shield. She swung and stabbed into the enemy. One by one they all fell and melted into a pile of dust.

Mizaru approached the painting of the Hellion. It slid downward and revealed five large tubes with water shooting through them. They were numbered from one to five.

"Oh gee, I wonder which one we should take." Iwazaru mused.

Mizaru pointed to the first one. "Mistress valued her former enemy over her the Hellion."

"Oh really?" Iwazaru mocked her, "And what happens if I chose one of the other ones?"

"Why don't you see for yourself?" Mizaru gestured toward the latter choices.

Kikazaru's curiosity got the best of him. He stepped into the tube number three. The speed swiftly silenced his muffled wail. He reappeared next to Ruto moments later, curled in a ball and shivering with terror.

Mizaru spoke, "Only the abyss awaits..."

Ruto studied the first strange tunnel. She stepped into it and shot downward like a meteor. She landed at what felt like the center of the world. Water and darkness filled the chamber. Ruto struggled to see. The Zarus popped into the room. Mizaru illuminated herself and revealed the scheme of the floor. Pressure switches of various function stuck out of the floor and walls. A painting waited at the end of the trial. It featured a pale man stalking soldiers in the shadows.

Ruto assumed, "Let me guess...I have to press the right one to get to the next level."

Mizaru stated, "Correct. But like the pale one, there is more to this than meets the eye."

Ruto rubbed her chin and thought carefully as to what each switch may do. Link mentally voiced that, from personal experience, the red switches were normally the ones that did the worst. Ruto took his advice and pressed a blue switch. A loud rumbling mumbled in the background.

"What was that?" Ruto wondered.

"I don't know." Mizaru held up her hands, "But it doesn't sound good."

"Why don't you know?" Iwazaru asked. "You're _Mistress'_ helper! Hell! You used to give her the answers all the time! Why can't you help us now?"

Mizaru replied. "It's not that easy. There are limits to these things. You should know that now. If things were going to be like the old days then we would have finished our mission days ago."

"Doesn't change the fact that you've lost your touch, old bag."

Mizaru gritted her teeth in Iwazaru's direction, "At least I can be trusted."

"Oh? And what's that supposed to mean?"

"You know what that means, baka! Mark my words, you will have your day!"

The argument shook Ruto's concentration. Her attention forcefully absorbed Mizaru's words. It was the at least the third time Link or the Sages heard someone comment on Iwazaru's loyalty. Ruto felt herself be reminded by her own reservations about trusting the foreigners. Things were getting foggy and not adding up.

Ruto noticed Kikazaru hovering next to one of the walls. He held up his hand and wiggled his fingers. She swam over to his place and noticed an unusual current coming from the wall. She touched the wall. She felt a vibration instead of brick.

"Huh?"

Link flashed the Lens of Truth in her head. Ruto pulled it out and looked through it. The illusion of switch-pregnant walls vanished and revealed bars blocking an open passageway flowing right through the tower.

"What the hell is this about?" Iwazaru wondered.

Ruto noticed the switches on the floor were still present, even through the lens. She pressed another blue switch to see what would happen. There was a rumbling in the distance, but nothing in their current location moved. She continued to study her surroundings. "I still don't see anything out of the ordinary."

Kikzaru sat on another blue switch to see what would happen. Ruto noticed the sound was like a chain being pulled. She looked closely out past the bars to see if there was any movement. "Press another one." Kikazaru pressed another switch. Suddenly, there was a light in the distance.

"Wait, what is that?" Ruto turned out and saw Kikazaru had pressed a yellow switch. The light flickered. But it was too slow to be going out. Ruto turned around. She saw a long tail float by the light. And she immediately felt the urgency to leave.

Ruto swam around the room as fast as possible and looked around for the right switch.

"ERRRRRRRRR!

The light disappeared again. Then Ruto felt the disruption of the flow. The monster was coming. Iwazaru and Kikazaru panicked and pressed more of the switches. The bars slowly lifted up.

"YOU DUMBASS!" Iwazaru choked Kikazaru, "YOU PRESSED THE BAD ONES! NOW WE'RE FUCKED!"

Ruto swam towards the painting. The Zarus followed suit. Then the massive leviathan swam through the passage and nearly filled the tunnel, its teeth alone were a jagged spike wall of atrocity. When it left, the group immediately scattered and searched for the right button.

"Where is it? Where is it?" Iwazaru scattered around.

Ruto scanned the hall over again. All of the other switches had been pressed. Nothing. She waited for the monster to swim by again. Every time the fish passed them, it took a piece of wall with it. Every time it passed, it became more aggressive.

Ruto swam towards the exit one more time and noticed a faint indention near the painting. A small lever. Ruto darted straight for the switch and yanked it. The painting dropped and five tubes waited for her decision.

"Mizaru! What next?"

Mizaru appeared next to Ruto. "Mistress' childhood hero kept her from the darkness."

"Who?"

Iwazaru pointed, "MASK! THIRD FLOOR!"

Ruto entered the third tube and shot up to the third floor. It is a square room with three square tiles on the walls and floors. One pedestal sat in the middle with a lever stuck out of it.

The Zarus appeared at Ruto's side. Mizaru stood in the middle of the room. Iwazaru left himself to his own thoughts, as did Kikazaru who aimlessly swam around the place. Mizaru pointed to a painting on the left wall.

"This is the floor of the hero. The entering the next floor is right before you. But are you strong enough to endure it? That is the question."

"Who knows what that means. But we're about to find out, aren't we?"

Ruto stared at the lever for a moment and swallowed her turmoil. There was only one way out. She gripped the lever and pulled it down. Suddenly, the marked tiles opened up. The holes in the floor summoned gigantic whirlpools while the walls produced schools of smiling skullfish. Ruto and the Zarus swam for their life as the maelstroms tried to pull them in. Ruto filled the water with electricity when the skullfish crept close by. She turned her attention to the painting, which had dropped down and activated the tubes. She struggled against the currents. Iwazaru swam for his life while the whirlpools had swallowed Kikazaru a few times already. Mizaru reappeared at the tubes and held out her hand.

Ruto tried to swim to Mizaru but the forces were gaining the upperhand. Ruto wished with all her might that she could command the whirlpools to disperse but she knew it was useless. Then Link flashed the longshot into her head. He told her he used it all the time when he was stuck in this kind of situation. Ruto pulled the grapler out and looked for a target to aim at. Eventually, she went took a wild shot at Mizaru. The lady Zaru grabbed the end of it and held on as the retraction pulled Ruto towards the exit tubes.

Mizaru spoke, "Mistress enjoyed spending time with her blind younger brother."

Ruto looked to Iwazaru, who was still swimming around. "FLOOR TWO!"

Ruto took the remnant psyche's advice and stepped into the tube marked two. She dropped down a floor to a long, narrow hallway with one crystal switch near the entrance tubes and a painting at the far end. The painting was of a young man wearing a blindfold and posing like some extravagant hero.

Vents opened up and the water began to drain. Ruto took a minute to adjust to breathing normal again. Then a pain hit her. Ruto doubled over. Her body cramped and spasmed. She had trouble breathing. She broke into a fever and vomited blood on the floor.

Ruto gasped between convulsions, "What's.....happening....to me?"

Mizaru covered her mouth. "It's happening...I knew it would happen eventually. but you had lasted so long I had hoped you would make it!"

Iwazaru growled, "Don't tell me..."

Mizaru nodded, "The smiling sickness."

Ruto's eyes widened when she heard those words. Link tried to calm her down but she knew he was panicking inside too. The Sages sensed the disturbance and immediately went into debate as to what to do. Ruto coughed out, "How long do I have?"

Mizaru replied, "I do not know..."

Iwazaru protested, "I thought we were immune! That red-headed bitch said we would be fine! We did everything she said!"

Ruto gasped, "She also...said...it was temporary!...We have to...stop it... from the inside...to...be...to be cured!"

"The Hylians said the sickness took days before people started changing! We should still have time!"

Mizaru agrued, "At this concentration, I don't know!"

Ruto felt foolish. She almost forgot that she was swimming in the breeding ground of the virus. For the past few hours she had been breathing it in and wading around in it while trying to conquer the dungeon. Even with Samantha's medicine, it was only a matter of time. Pain seized her once again and she lost the ability to think coherently. All she was writhe around and try to scream.

"Helpme!Helpme!Helpme!Helpme!Helpme!Helpme!Helpme!Helpme!Helpme!"

Her mind raced to memories of happier things and her childhood. "I'm sorry, Father. I'm sorry, Ino. I'm sorry, Link."

Link and the Sages called out to her. "Hold on, Ruto!"

More images flashed into her mind. Link fought through them all to try and reach her. The pain fought back. She was a child again, taing care of Lord Jabu-Jabu. Then he opened his mouth and ate her. A giant octorock sucked her into its body and ate her. Morpha came back to life and drug her into an abyss. A hundred Heaven Smile attacked her and exploded simultaneously. Laughter echoed everywhere. Then it all went to white.

Ruto opened her eyes again. Darkness. Then she looked back down. She sat in her position in Link's projection of the Chamber of Sages. Rauru and the other Sages stood in their respective positions around the chamber. Darunia on Fire, Impa on Shadow, Nabooru on Spirit, and so on.

Darunia greeted with concern, "Good to have you back, Princess."

Ruto stood up and asked, "What happened?"

Rauru explained, "We have extracted thine control over Link's body. When the smiling sickness infected thee, it had advanced to fast thou had nearly perished. Before thou hath succumbed to it, we seized control and extracted thee back into a passive state."

Ruto was alarmed, "What about Link? And the spirits? Who is in control now?"

Rauru replied, "Saria, the Forest Sage, has volunteered to take over for the moment. Link and the guardians Iwazaru, Mizaru, and Kikazaru are currently aiding her in our quest."

"Don't let her do it! She'll catch it too!"

Impa spoke, "We have no choice, Ruto. We must continue our quest."

"But she'll die too!"

"We have to take that risk." Impa argued.

"No! No! Let me out then! We can't let another one of us catch it! We'll die before we reach Mis-- I mean...Kaede!"

Rauru refused, "We cannot allow that! We took you away to suspend the sickness within you. If you become the leader again, you risk awakening it. If that occurs, we may not be able to save you."

Ruto protested, "But I'm the Sage of Water. This is my temple these beasts are messing with! It should be me!"

Darunia sympathized, "We're sorry, Princess..."

Saria stretched her arms and legs as she got used to being the leading Sage once again.

"We seem to be in a tight spot, flower child." Iwazaru informed her.

"Yeah, I know." Saria said pet Kikazaru.

Mizaru pointed out, "How come she can change people like the leader?"

Iwazaru silenced her with, "Long story. We'll tell you later."

She studied the puzzle before her. One switch and trap doors on the ceiling. She rubbed her chin and turned the crystal switch. The ceiling slowly rumbled towards the floor. The trap slots opened up and dropped five Heaven Smile. Saria drew out her mighty axe and hacked away at the first two smiles. The ceiling crept too close for comfort when she reached the third one. She immediately retreated back before the ceiling crushed anything under it. A moment later, it began its routine of retracting back into its place above everything.

Saria spoke, "Obviously, the smiles are there as distraction. I really just need to reach the exit."

"Can you cross it?" Iwazaru asked.

"Normally, no. But luckily, we saved Con before coming here."

Saria remembered Con's bandanna. It was supposed to give her the power of speed. She used her power to summon the energy from it. Massive forces and beams of green light swayed around her. She focused her attention to the painting of Con at the end of the stretch. She hit the crystal switch and--

WOOOOOOOOOSH!

THUD!

Saria opened her eyes. She lied on the floor. Her head throbbed from running into a wall. She looked up and saw the painting of Con had dropped and revealed the exit tubes. Behind her was the new wall the ceiling made.

The Zarus reappeared. Mizaru spoke, "The assassin she was closest to was just above her head."

Iwazaru pointed out, "It's process of elimination. Floor Five."

Saria nervously stepped into the tube marked Five. The tunnel shot her up three floors and spat her out. She picked herself up as the Zarus entered the chamber.

The room was a massive disposal of sorts with two slopes with streams of water flowing down them. They poured into a large pool of that glowed a disturbingly familiar tint of blue. Link instantly remembered the waterfall room to be part of the original Water Temple. However, it looked like the designers of the Gerudo Training Grounds had a hand in crafting the traps as there were a series of cages, locked doors, and enchanted floor tiles suspended above the waterfalls. Two fresco paintings of many foreign buildings from the assassin world covered the side walls while a painting on the ceiling depicted a smiling, rough tan, man aiming a hand-cannon down at whatever was under him.

Saria inspected the first locked door. "So....where is the key?"

Mizaru stated, "A thief needs no keys."

The words hit Saria and instantly she got the idea.

"This is a job for Nabooru."

Saria took out the Ocarina of Time and played the Requiem of Spirit. Her body flashed red and burst into a thousand red particles. The particles reformed into an organce and pink-bonze Gerudo woman with tan skin, red hair, and a red gem in the center of her forehead. She carried two large scimitars as her weapons. Nabooru of the Gerudo.

Iwazaru and Kikazaru hovered around Nabooru. "Ah, and yet another one. I remember you and the Sheikah chick to be the ninja bitches. So what's going down? How are you going to get us out of this tight spot?"

Nabooru was quiet. The Sages sensed she had been abnormally quiet for a while in their journey. Nabooru had her reasons. But she tried to keep her to her normal demeanor as much as possible.

"Don't worry." Nabooru smoothly assured the Zarus, "I'm a professional."

Nabooru leapt out to the first door. She examined the keyhole meticulously. She sensed Link's curiosity. _Just watch and learn, hero. Watch and learn._

Nabooru pulled out an small, metal stick with grooves and strange carvings embedded in it. She stuck the strange rod in and twisted it around a few turns in various direction until-

Click!

The chains subsided and the door gave Nabooru passage.

Link's jaw dropped at Nabooru's special skill. He projected the message of _"I did not know you could do that!"_

Nabooru smiled, "There are many things you don't know about me, dear Link."

The Gerudo thief worked her way into the caged maze of doors and traps. The traps were simple false doors or tiles that tried to throw her off into the pool of abyss below. She avoided them with simple dodges and jumps.

_This is too easy._

Nabooru passed through the last of the maze and reached a series of enchanted tiles and platform. She jumped form spot to spot. One of them fell. Another moved upward. Others hovered left and right. Nabooru saw she was close to the final painting. Only a few more stepping stones left. Then--

"Hehehehehe!"

FLASH!

Nabooru fell.

SPLOOSH!

Nabooru regained her bearings and swam upward. Then the water currents started swirling. Pressure gradually pressed up against her and forced her down. She swam against but the water built resistance. The thief struggled even more but the water fluctuated and pulled her down.

"What the?"

Nabooru noticed something circular floating aroumd.

"What kinda of fish is that?"

Ruto called out to Nabooru, _"HURRY! GET OUT OF THERE! IT'S--"_

WHAM!

The sphere rammed into Nabooru's shoulder and knocked the breath out of her. She scattered and tried to regain control. The water changed color around her to the disturbing, familiar, sickly irridesence of the concentrated poisonous water. _What is this? Some kind of water demon?_ She swam upwards as hard as she could before she drowned. Then she saw a glimmer of hope thirty feet above her. A bullseye target.

Nabooru fought against the entity and managed to pull out the longshot. With one trained eye, she pulled the trigger.

KATOOOSH!

SPLOK!

The retractor pulled Nabooru up the chain. When she reached the end she grabbed the edge of the floating tile and pulled herself up. She took a minute to catch her breath while looking out for any more surprises. _What is that thing, Ruto?_

Ruto replied from the Chamber of Sages, _"It's Morpha! Ganondorf's 'guardian' of the Water Temple in the alternate future that tried to anhilate the Zora. He somehow managed to revive it!"_

Nabooru heard disturbing movement from below. She looked back down and saw liquid tendrils forming from the pool. A massive lump emerged and formed into the head of a smiling demon. It hissed and lashed its arms out at the thief. Nabooru dodged them and skipped from platform to platform. When they got too close, she cut and hacked them, to no avail.

Link flickered in Nabooru's mind and showed her the vision of him using the longshot to extract Morpha's nucleus and destroying it. _Easier said than done, my gold-haired friend._ Link advised she stood still to let the core try to reach her. _If you say so._

Nabooru took out the longshot and aimed it. She stood still and waited for a tentacle to approach her. It rattled and shivered. Then it lashed out.

"AAH! DAMNIT!"

Nabooru struggled out of Morpha's tight grasp. She managed to get a hand free and throw a deku nut in hopes of stunning the water beast. She grabbed onto another tile and aimed the longshot at the little nucleus swimming around below. It twirled and shot in various directions.

"Damn! This isn't working!" Nabooru growled.

Iwazaru hovered next to Nabooru. "Quite the tight spot were in, eh lady-thief?"

"Nothing I can't handle." she protested. "Just another obstacle. That's all."

"Here's a fun tip." Iwazaru pointed out, "Why not just shoot it?"

"It's a small target inside a giant wall of water." Nabooru irritatingly reminded him, "What do you think?"

Kikazaru popped up next to them in a diver's pose. He jumped off and landed head first into Morpha's body. The Sage and the Zaru watched as the white one swam like a frog and seized the core. He surfaced and held it in the air.

Nabooru called out, "Hang onto it! She pulled out the bow and light arrows. She aimed right for Kikazaru. Kikazaru tried to sit still while Morpha's aquatic body tried to regain its brain.

ZZZZZZZZZZT!

Kikazaru wailed as the nucleus electrocuted him and swam free.

"Shit!" Nabooru growled. "This is taking too long!"

The thief shot a few arrows but they missed the agile little ball of energy and dissipated into the massive amoeba. Nabooru cursed to herself each time she missed and watched the arrows' magic die. The little brain seemed to mock the Sage in her errors.

Link flickered from within again. The water reminded him of the Ice Arrows from the Gerudo Training Grounds and the Great Bay Temple. The idea was so simple, the thief queen slapped herself on the forehead.

"How foolish of me! How could I not come up with that?"

Link mentally smiled. Naooru crept a smile and opened her quiver for a few ice arrows. She let them loose into Morpha. Patches of the water demon's body froze stiff. It struggled and convulsed to shake off the ice. But eventually Nabooru froze the whole pool solid. She threw a bunch of bombs down into the pit.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

CRASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHH!

BOOOBABOBAOBOOOOOOOOOOM!

Morpha's body shattered everywhere into thousands of pieces. Water and slivers burned like lantern oil spilt on a hay wagon. Nabooru covered herself from the explosion. The whole chamber went up in flames. She stayed hidden for a minute. When everything was quiet once more, she stood back up and surveyed the ruins.

"What caused that? I didn't use _that_ many bombs."

Link played a memory of a recently overheard conversation.

_"The bacteria reacted to heat by charging the water to a state of volatility. When the temperature reached over __**300 degrees**__, the pot of water_ _**combusted**_!....

_".....It __**EXPLODED**__!"_

Nabooru stared at the sight of what looked like the aftermath of an oil fire. Iwazaru reappeared, "Shall we move on, wise one?" Nabooru waited a moment to make sure nothing else came her way. "Alright, let's go."

Nabooru leapt from unchanted tile to tile until she reached the other end of the waterfalls. Fatigue set in when she landed at her destination. She felt a little dizzy but took a deep breath and recovered. She approached the final painting, which was of the red woman.

Mizaru appeared and spoke,

"To reach my Mistress, you must shed the blood of the hero."

Iwazaru mused, "That means the lady must go back in the box."

Nabooru rolled her eyes. Then a great pain dropped her to her knees. "Shit!....I guess it was my time anyway!" She gritted her teeth and focused hard to shift the control back to Link before the Smiling Sickness overtook her body.

Link summoned the power of the leader to regain control and the thief's body transformed back into the hero. He stretched his body out and prepared for the battle soon to come. He saw the painting of Mizaru and knew immediately what he had to do. He took off a glove and ran his sword across his wrist. Drops of blood floated and a splattered onto the painting. They came in tiny flecks, then quickened in pace until a stream of red stained the mural. Mizaru touched it with her finger and shattered the picture of her. Behind it was an elevator.

Link replenished himself with a quick sip of red and green potion. After a quick check of his remianing items, he approached the elevator. The Zarus followed behind him. Iwazaru hummed, "Fourth floor, he we go." Ruto echoed in Link's head, "Good luck." The doors shut behind them.

Kurahashi and Akiba appeared. Kurahashi asked his old friend, "What do you think are the odds of them killing the woman?" Akiba replied, "Meh, not much. She _did _shoot our brains out from across a room." Kurahashi added, "She also dumped that baka, Matsuken, like a ton of bricks." They chuckled.

"Bakas, they all are."

"Bakas, indeed."


	34. Barefoot

Chapter 32:

Barefoot

The elevator slowed to a stop. The doors parted and Link stepped out. It was a pale, lifeless, endless void of shallow water like someone had pulled out the plug on an ocean and drained it. He automatically recognized the chamber to be the scene of where he once fought his own darker version of himself. But something was different. He heard an unfamiliar tune and automatically looked straight ahead to its origin.

A female figure sat in the middle of everything. She leaned up against the dead tree on the little center island of dry sand. She had long, black hair and wore light blue ceremonial robes with various designs on them. Her pale feet stuck out and rubbed designs in the sand.

Link knew not to walk so easily towards a trap. He unsheathed his sword and prepared for battle. The woman stopped playing when she heard him. She stood up and turned around to face her intruder. Her robes blew around as a faint breeze somehow made its way between them.

"Mistress!"

The Zarus appeared. Mizaru ran towards the woman.

"Mistress! It's me! We made it! We can free you---"

SMACK!

The woman threw Mizaru ten feet away. The psyche picked herself up, "Sensei..."

"Dumbass." Iwazaru growled.

The woman revealed her face. She wore an elegant, white mask with small eyes but a large, disturbing smile. She laughed, softly at first. Then she was hysterical.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!"

The assassin dismantled the instrument in one pull to reveal a long rifle and a long knife.

br/

**Smiling Vengeful Sorceress: Kaede**

br/

Kaede aimed her rifle. Link dodged her shot. She flew at him. He swung his sword. She deflected his attacks the with rifle. He used his shield. She swiped her knife. He rolled away. Her shot grazed his leg. Link showed no pain.

Kaede sent three more shots after him.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Link dodged her shots and pulled out his bow and let loose a few light arrows. One of them struck Kaede's face. She staggered back and pulled the arrow out of the mask. It left a crack. Kaede growled and held her arm up. She ran her knife across it. A fountain of blood shot out from her wrist."

Iwazaru appeared next to Link, "Hero, we're in a tight spot! Barefoot's using that crazy power of hers to summon some friends!"

The particles formed into red heaven smiles with strange growths on various parts on their bodies that looked like flowers. One crept two close for comfort. Link stuck a arrow into it. In a flash it appeared right in front of him and threw its arms out.

BOOOOOOOOM!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The explosion knocked Link thirty feet away. Burns darkened his clothes and screamed on his skin. The cold water barely did anything to cool his wounds.

Iwazaru informed the hero with his usual assistance, "Phantom Smiles. Tricky little fuckers that require the utmost precision. Barefoot used to specialize in exterminating them. Kinda ironic she uses them now to fight us. Shoot the flower-like spots on the body and they will die quickly."

Link painfully re-drew his bow and carefully aimed his arrows for the weaknesses of the remaining smiles. The smiles dissolved instantly. But Kaede was missing.

"WATCH OUT!" Mizaru cried.

BAM!

BAM!

A force tore into his arm like a bomb fragment. The pain and power knocked him back off his feet. Link gritted his teeth and tried to sweat the pain. Then another one hit him in the leg.

"AAH!"

Link picked himself up and kept himself moving. He pulled out the Lens of Truth to see where the demon-woman hid. He found nothing. Mizaru went to his side, "My Mistress is not hiding in an illusion. She's watching us from afar." She pointed out her location. Link carefully eyed a spot in the distance. Another object shot straight towards him. Mizaru stood in front of him and took it in the shoulder. Link faltered when she felt to her knees. She pointed at Kaede, "Hurry!"

Link let loose three arrows into the wind. He saw the spec that was Kaede writhe around in her spot. She flew towards him at breakneck speed. Before he knew it, Kaede's rifle sent a shot right for his head. Mizaru jumped in front of him and endured it. Kaede flew past Mizaru with her knife in hand while Link held his up his shield. Kaede scraped it but followed with her rifle to his legs. Link jumped back and countered with his sword. Kaede faltered as she dealt with another crack on her face.

Link prepared for Kaede's blood summon with his bow drawn. As predicted, Kaede cut her wrist again and summoned her smiling minions. However, instead of vanishing to a distant spot, she summoned a large, decorated box that reminded Link ofa closet. She stepped into it and slid the door shut. The booth shifted below the floor and left Link to deal with the smiles. He quickly disposed of them with some carefully-aimed shots. The booth moved upward from the wet floor and opened back up. Kaede's smiling form stepped out. The cracks were gone.

"Shit!" Iwazaru cursed. "I should've known she would do that! We're in a tight spot now!"

Kaede cut her wrist again. She manifested four more flower smiles. To distract Link even more, Kaede replicated herself. The two witches vanished. Link disposed of the smiles once again. He tried to to find Kaede once again but to no avail. He looked at Mizaru, who could barely stand but still managed to point out the real Kaede off in the distance. Link aimed his bow.

KAPOW!

"AAAAH!"

Link fell to the floor. He gritted his teeth and tried to deal with the pain burning his back. He stayed down and tried to find Kaede again. Another shot grazed his shoulder. The doppleganger hid behind him somewhere. He rolled around a few times from his original spot and aimed carefully for Kaede again. A few more shots and she wailed again, the signal Link knew for a direct hit.

Kaede flew at Link again and the process repeated. They fought melee style. Link eventually lands a hit. Kaede retaliates by summoning more smiles. And she retreats. When she returns, Link's damage to her face is gone and the cycle repeats.

BAM!

"ACK!"

Mizaru took another hit trying to protect Link from her mistress. She bled from her wounds and could barely pick herself up. Link grew concerned as he dodged multiple shots from Kaede and her impostors. Iwazaru caught onto his emotions and protested. "She's dead weight in this battle, hero. You know the rules. You are the only one of importance here. She feeds off the blood of her mistress' enemies. If she didn't help us before, she would be the enemy. You help her and you risk nailing your coffin shut!"

Link shut out Iwazaru's warnings and looked to a disturbed Kikazaru trying to help Mizaru to her feet. Iwazaru spoke out, "She's a fool to let such weaknesses overcome her. But I suppose it's not her choice, being bound to Barefoot and all."

Link ran to Mizaru and cut his hand. The blood flowed from his wound to hers. The drops splotched on her suit and sealed away the holes. She stood back on her feet wuick enough to push Link out the way of more rifle fire. She managed to point out the real Kaede. Link Shot three more arrows and hit the real Kaede's face. She stumbled like usual and pursued Link.

The hero and assassin fought again. Kaede's movements grew more frantic and sketchy. Link managed to keep up with little wounds. A couple of strikers later and Kaede summoned her minions and large boxes again. There were three of them now, one for her and two for the duplicates. The boxes sank below the water while Link dealt with the flower smiles once more. Link killed the smiles and the three boxes rose from the ground and the doors opened. Kikazaru threw off the pattern by attacking one of them. She turned out to be a doppelganger and sealed Kikazaru in the box. The three booths lowered back below the water surface, not a moment before the Kaedes turned their attention back onto Link.

Iwazaru growled as Link and the Zarus repeated the process. "We're in a tight spot, hero. This battle is a total bust. Barefoot is small in strength. But her healing powers are efficient to say the least. But what's this?...."

Kikazaru appeared, squirming around in terror as usual. He flailed his arms around and squeal something incoherent to human ears. Iwazaru spoke to him and translated for Link as they kept dodging Kaede's fire.

"Kika-kun says that the witch stuck him in her evil box and drowned him. But the box is made of wood. A large coffin. Dangerous but breakable....If that's the case, then it's simply a matter of destroying her little sanctuaries. After that, you should finally be able dispatch Barefoot for the count."

Link carefully analyzed the idea while he shot out more arrows. But then he hit a snag in his strategy. He ran out of arrows.

KAPOW!

Link kept his shield up. He communicated with the Sages about the problem. Rauru and the others debated on what to do.

Darunia spoke up, "We must do something!"

Ruto protested, "If we anyone of us out there, we risk more infection."

Nabooru agreed, "Ruto is right. Link might be in danger from lack of supplies, but unlike us, he has yet to succumb to the sickness."

Saria argued, "But if we don't help him, he might die!"

Impa spoke, "I agree. And that's why I volunteer to go."

Rauru asked her, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes. I might die in the process of this mission. But if we do not help Link, we all will die. Besides, the assassin is ont invincible. We can defeat her if we listen carefully to our allies."

Link followed through the plan and transformed into Impa. Impa found herself at a disadvantage with her shadow skills because of light covering the area. Impa swiflty ran around to avoid the rifle fire and tossed out a few kunai to keep the doppelgangers away. She tried to hide in the shadows of an object, but the only object present was a tree. Therefore, she relied on strategy and agility to guide her through the battle. She managed to avoid the shots flying through the air and spotted one of the maidens in the distance. She ran towards her, but the Kaede vanished and relocated to another spot. The Shiekah contemplated the plan.

_Obviously she prefers distance to keep her attackers away. The key is to confront the real assassin and dispatch her in a series of many attacks. But one would have to be either very fast or invisi--_

Impa's train of thought went ahead of her. She instantly remembered Kevin from the Shadow Temple. He gave her his glasses in the Tower of Harman. She pulled the pair of spectacles out and briefly examined them while running. Without hesitation, she slid them on. She sensed a great shift of magic for a moment. Her vision altered from seeing a white, foggy room to darkness with water's glowing surface and the flickering of apparitions in the distance. One of them glowed more than the others. And Impa found her target.

The real Kaede hovered around with her rifle still in hand. She looked bewildered like a hunter who just lost her prey. Impa darted towards her and ran to her side. She leapt onto the sorceress assassin and plunged her ninjato as hard as she could. The mask gave resistance. But then Impa heard the cracking. Kaede shrieked as the ninja blade plunged into a oozing eye socket. Impa used her other knife to hack the assassin's throat. Kaede furiously twirled and spun around to try and free herself from her invisible oppressor. Impa still hung onto the witch. Blood poured everywhere. The flickering lights of doppelgangers advanced towards Impa and the real Kaede. Kaede's life force spilled onto the wet floor and formed sickly, laughing creatures once again. The false maidens shot their rifles at the Sage while the smiles crept closer. Impa threw kunai at the doppelgangers to keep them at bay. The smiles kept coming. Impa threw a deku nut down.

BOOOOM!

The burning force of five Heaven Smile knocked Impa off Kaede's back. Kaede bled out more reinforcements before summoning her retreat once again. The doppelgangers followed her stead. And Impa was left to endure the wrath of a mad, smiling mob. Impa got back up and noticed that Kaede's blood covered her arms and legs. She rolled around in the water to wash it off. She also noticed the three boxes below transparent ground. She quickly silenced the smiling demons and focused on the maidens. She knew she would have to destroy the real Kaede's coffin the instant all three surfaced. She carefully studied the three booths to determine which one held the real assassin. Then the boxes shot back up to the surface. Impa immediately charged at the real Kaede's personal coffin and threw a bomb at it.

BOOOM!

KAPOW!

A fierce, burning pain tore into Impa's shoulders. The bomb that detonated destroyed one of the boxes, but the two other maidens fired their rifles while still in theirs. Impa fell to the wet ground. Her body roared with burning pain. Her vision blurred. She felt her body convulsed. The smiling sickness was within her now. She knew it.

_Not yet! I can still fight!_

Impa struggled to pick herself back up. By the time she reached her feet, four demonic maidens now roamed the area and spotted her in their sights.

BANG!

Impa burst into dust. The dust reformed into Saria. The Kokiri Sage summoned a jolt of power and darted out of the immediate firing line. She held up her shield and ran in a serpentine. She immediately pulled out her axe and took a hack at a Kaede that frantically tried to aim her weapon. Saria's axe swung into the maiden's torso. It turned into dust. A doppelganger.

Saria chased after the others in the same way. She frantically dodged rifle blasts and hacked two more doppelgangers. Only the real assassin remained standing. Saria darted after her. Kaede kept firing. Saria swung her axe again one she reached striking distance. Kaede doged her attacks. Saria fired back with a deku nut and momentarily blinded her. The Kokiri child sent her axe into the abdomen of the assassin. Kaede screamed and blood spewed around her.

Kaede's blood stained Saria red. Saria staggered back a few steps and wiped at her eyes.

"Aaah! It's burning!"

"Flower child! Don't!" Iwazaru called out.

Saria shivered. Her body went into fits and spasms. Saria scratched at the sensation of a thousand spiders crawling on her body. She felt her temperature rise.

"NO! STOP IT! STOP IIIIIT!"

Saria's eyes bled red. Then her body disintegrated.

Saria recovered in the Chamber of Sages. "The blood....the BLOOD!"

Rauru called out to Saria, "It's alright now, Forest Sage. You are safe."

Saria calmed down and tried to regain her composure. But the Sages sensed her instability. Impa and Nabooru knew Saria would suffer the worst. Depsite her wise nature, Saria was still a child.

Rauru spoke. "We are down to Darunia and myself now. If we fail Link in this dark time, we risk losing the war."

Darunia spoke valiantly, "I'm not about to let a little blood stop me. My entire clan survived smiling sickness! I can take it!"

"NO!" Ruto snapped. "It's what she _wants_!...She _knows_! And she's going to wear us down until there's no one left!"

Rauru argued, "We can't let you go, Lady Ruto. You risk succumbing to infection!"

"And if you take control, that witch will infect you too!" Ruto spat.

The chamber was silent. Rauru and Ruto stared at each other. The Zora growled, "You know it's true!...Let me do it!"

"You realize that if you fall, you may doom us all."

"I know."

The red dust reformed moments later into the angry Zora princess. Ruto's body still suffered the aggression of her illness. But she held her breath and focused her vision through ehr four eyes. And instantly she saw the four maidens in the distance.

"There can be a thousand of you, and you will still not avert my wrath!"

Ruto summoned every inch of rage within her and shot it outwards in four directions.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The masked maidens screamed in agony. The three doppelgangers burst into dust, leaving the real Kaede alone once again. The assassin shot at the volatile Zora at her usual distance. Ruto simply moved aside and focused more of her energy on the assassin woman.

"YOU SHALL SUFFER THE BANE OF MY FALLEN BROTHERS AND SISTERS!"

Ruto send over a thousand volts into Kaede's robed body. The assassin screamed and writhed from the power. Ruto felt the smiling sickness become more intense but still focused every bit of energy into vaporizing the assassin off the face of the earth. Kaede's mask began to crack again. Kaede threw an arm out to summon her little chamber. Ruto blew the box to charred splinters among all the energy. She kept Kaede where she wanted her and just kept shooting waves of energy from her body.

_If this doesn't work, Rauru can have his way._

Ruto's body ached and she sensed her power weakening from draining all her energy. _Just...a little...more!....._ Kaede's demented mask cracked more and more. Her rifle exploded into pieces. Her robes charred and withered from the sparks. Her skin blackened and her hair burst into flames. Eventually--

CRASSSSSSSSH!

The smiling mask shattered into pieces, revealing three bright blue eyes on the assassin's face. And the burned and bloody Kaede fell to the wet floor. Ruto relented and her fury subsided. Faint electric sparks flickered around them. And the burdening fatigue of sickness began to make itself present within Ruto's body once again. However, the Zora managed to maintain her solemn-but-ruthless composure. She remembered that the assassins had to be defeated with a light arrow to the third eye. And she planned to follow the tradition. She grabbed Kaede's face, picked up a broken arrow, summoned the last bit of her energy to an orb of light, and plunged the arrow into Kaede's forehead. Her face twisted into a scream that went silent. And her body burst into dust.

Ruto doubled over in pain. Kaede's demise triggered the sickness within her. Her body convulsed once again. Her stomach muscles spasmed and cramped. She vomited up more blood a bile. She coughed more and more as blood poured from nose and gills. She gagged and puked some more until her muscles could barely take it. Her mind raced and panicked as she struggled to breath. Eventually, her body relaxed. And she fell in the water. the Sages called out to her in concern. _Relax. I'm fine now....I think..._

Ruto lay in the water and breathed it in. She stretched her arms out and felt her left hand touch something. She picked up the object and discovered it to be the assassin's weapon. Now it was a shorter looking canon with a scope attachment. _How strange..._

The room stole Ruto's attention as it began to shift and breathe. The endless illusion flickered and fluctuated. And all turned to white.


	35. Fourth Floor

**Chapter 33:**

**Fourth Floor**

Link and Ruto appeared in a strange, blue hallway. The Zarus, with Mizaru in tow, hovered behind them. Ruto, filtering through her mental notes and observations, inquired, "I take it we are in the tower of the one known as Harman, yes?" Iwazaru nodded and replied, "Barefoot resides on the fourth floor of Harman's Tower." Mizaru added on, "I used to live here with mistress as well, until..."

**FLASH!**

A woman stood before the heroes. She was a slim woman of average height. She had short, brown hair and matching brown eyes, unlike the blue color of the smiling figure Ruto had just battled moments before. She was pale and wore only a white dress, stained with blotches of blood. She spoke coldly.

"The Water Temple has been liberated. Because of you, Kun Lan has lost his control over Lake Hylia. On behalf of the Smiths, I thank you for your heroic efforts. To bring this land back to peace, I give you my weapon."

And with that cue, the Shield of Sages transformed into Garcian's weapon case once more. Kaede produced her firearm and placed it into the case. The weapon case then changed back into the shield on Link's back.

Kaede went on with her words like the other assassins before her, like some sort of formality. "I'm sorry for the lossses you have suffered. I've felt similar pain in my life. Please forgive me. I wasn't in control of myself..." She sensed Ruto's pent up grudge. Defeating Kaede's assassin form and saving Lake Hylia just did not seem to be enough for the Zora Princess, apparently. Ruto's mind growled with the unsatisfied thirst for retribution. The Sages' words echoed in her mind.

Rauru called to her, "Don't let the darkness devour thee, child of the Zora. Come back into the light." Saria's voice rang out, "Don't do it, Ruto! Don't let it get you down!" Darunia's voice pierced Ruto the most. "We have all suffered losses, Lady Ruto. We've all buried friends and family before. I've managed to quell my anger! So must you! The assassin is not whom you want and you know it! Calm yourself! There will be plenty more a battle for your rage!"

Ruto finally managed to swallow her anger and push it to the back of her mind. She had to. She was a Zoran Princess and a Sage of the Water Temple. Regardless of emotion or thought, she was still a diplomat dealing with foreign allies, whomever they may be. With that in mind, Ruto spoke coldly but courteously, "It's alright. We understand the predicaments of the assassins. It's a troubling situation, indeed. But if we try, we will prevail."

Kaede gave a formal nod. The tension finally subsided between Sage and assassin. Then another voice poked out from the group. "MISTRESS!"

Kaede saw the burgundy-clad Mizaru push through the team to embace her. "Mistress, I missed you so much!"

"I know! I miss you, too, Mizaru." Kaede embraced her guardian companion.

"I'm so sorry I failed you!"

"You never failed me, Mizaru. It was bound to happen sooner or later."

"I was so worried!"

"So was I."

Kikazaru added onto the hug. Link noticed Kaede projecting a look of awkwardness but she allowed it for the sake of the moment. Then Iwazaru killed it with sober sarcasm.

"Isn't this precious..."

"Iwazaru..." Kaede was silent for a moment, but she mustered up some words of civility, "How is Em-- I mean Garcian?"

Iwazaru held up a hand, "Fine for now. Powerless but alive. Counting you and Master, We're at a score of five out of seven."

"I see...That's good."

"You don't sound too happy about that."

"I have my reservations. We all do. And we have our reasons. But I'm here to help, regardless."

Ruto spoke, "We'll need all the help we can get."

Kaede spoke the words they predicted, "Kun Lan has awakened--"

"We know, we know," Iwazaru stopped her. "He's awakened the secondary monster to wreak havoc on the land because we broke the barrier! Where is it?"

"I saw it sleeping within a cave within the domain of Ruto-sama's people."

Ruto recalled, "The Ice Cavern! Of course! We have to act fast!"

"_I_ will be the one acting." Kaede told them. "This job requires--"

"Yeah, we know." Iwazaru interrupted her again. "An assassin has to defeat it. We all know. But how do you plan to destroy it with virtually no weapon?"

"That's for me to figure out. But you need to return to your people as soon as possible. The quicker we have soldiers to guard this place, the better."

The hallway flashed to white. When the group came to, they were back in the Zora Domain, right next to the cave that was once a fairy's fountain. A door with a red lantern beside it replaced the blown-hole entrance. Ruto had retreated back into the Chamber of Sages within Link. Link, Kaede, and the Zarus were only present. She approached the door. Iwazaru asked, "Where are you going, barefoot?"

Kaede quietly replied. "I'm going to get some help. I have no weapon right now. So I'm seeking some assistance. That's what you and the maid are here for, right?"

The woman opened up the door for them. Link and the Zarus shuffled in. They aprroached the red-tinted fountain. Iwazaru called out, "Firecrotch! Get your ass out here!" A thousand drops of red formed into the rogue spirit Samantha. "Hello, hero-boy. Back from another adventure, I see. Iwazaru. You're still around..."

Iwazaru growled, "The same could be said about you, red."

"No..No it can't. And you know it too."

Samantha was about to embrace Link in her normal, flirty manner when she spotted Kaede and Mizaru behind him. "Well, well. I get my first visit from an assassin and it's the infamous Miss Barefoot."

"Samantha." Kaede greeted with reservation.

"Kaede." Samantha shot back.

"So....How's life? Last I heard, the Smiths got schooled." Samantha mused.

Kaede replied with a hint of bitterness, "It could be better."

"What brings you to my neck of the woods, then?" The dark fairy inquired.

"I need a weapon."

"Weapon?" Samantha scoffed, "What happened to your other one?"

"I sacrificed it so that the forces originally ruling this world could have control over the land again. We all had to do it when we were freed apparently."

Samantha thought, "Ah yes. That's right....So that's how it works. And here I thought Mask was just breaking stuff with his hands for the fun of it."

Kaede urged her on, "Well?...Are you going to help or am I on my own on this one?"

Samantha walked around and contemplated, "Maybe...I've been making some friends lately through my connections with the fairies. I've got a friend that's been dabbling with some stuff underground. We keep in touch a lot. He's got something he's wanted to try out for some time. He just needs the right... test subject."

"Subject?"

"It's a product of old-school magic of this world and the God Hand powers. He shed sweat and tears for it, but the blood, or at least most of it, is from someone else...A few people and creatures actually."

Kaede mused in her strained civility, "I'm disturbed and curious at the same time."

"It's quite the piece indeed." Samantha purred. "But I think it's best that I show you to better explain everything...I'll be back in a sec."

Samantha disintegrated into the thousand red, floating particles Kaede and the others were so adjusted to seeing when someone made an entrance or an exit.

Link took the free moment to update himself on what the other assassins were doing. He turned on the television and flipped the channels. Garcian, as usual, kept near Zelda at the Lon-Lon Ranch camp. Con, Mask, and Kevin were also present, helping people out as much as possible. Con stuck close to Mask and Kevin seemed to be blending in with the Sheikah crowd.

Kaede saw the television and watched with Link.

"So there they are..."

Link nodded at the woman. Kaede quietly flipped the channels on her friends and anxiously watched some more. Link sensed hints of melancholy and longing from her as kept flipping channels among the other assassins. Garcian, to Con, to Mask, to Kevin. Iwazaru prodded, "They're at a ranch a few miles away from here. You would do well to join them after you finish your little mission." Kaede sighed, "It's gonna be one helluva reunion. I don't even know where to start with them..."

Kaede's channel showed her and Link standing in front of the television that now projected an infinite paradox of the scene. Kaede looked behind them with a wave of subtle paranoia. "How the fuck does she do that?" Link shrugged his arms.

Kaede stopped on the next channel. It was the man trapped in the Spirit Temple. She kept it there for a moment and then flipped over to the Light Temple assassin.

"So it has come to those two once again..."

A flash flickered behind Link and the red particles reformed into the maid-fairy once again. "Here we are!" Samantha held out a mask in her hands. It was a white, blood-stained, wooden mask with three slit eyes and a freakishly wide smile. Kaede reluctantly took it in her own hands and fought back a growl of disdain. "What the hell is it?"

The god of revelations struck Link with his fist once again. Samantha had made friends with people alright.

The wicked fairy smoothly explained, "Mr. Dealer, made it. A good man, that Dealer. So polite. He and his friends had been doing some...experiments...in the eastern woods."

Kaede inquired, "What kind of experiments?"

Samantha informed them, "The Dealer and his little friends, tired and pissed off as they were, decided to lash out against the smiling enemy in their own way. They made friends with some...shadowy individuals."

Kaede quietly humored, "No one too shady, I hope."

"No one knows. But these people were shady. And vengeful. Vengeful enough to somehow seize a sliver of the God Hand for themselves. A few days ago, before our golden boy came in with those faces of his, the Dealer was comissioned to create a mask for his dark new friends for a ritual they would perform. During the ritual, the strangers bathed the mask in the blood of a Heaven Smile and called out to their gods. They prayed for divine retribution against the foreign oppressors by fighting fire with fire. And when the smoke cleared and the spirits parted ways, the strangers were granted their wish."

Kaede stared at the wooden face. "So a couple of pagans got together and managed to, somehow, on a pure whim, bind a little bit of the God Hand to this thing. They managed to do the unthinkable and pull off a stunt that we have worked so hard to stop."

"Pretty much."

"And let me guess...This mask turns whoever wears it into Heaven Smile."

"If the spell worked, then yeah."

"Remind me why you're giving this to me."

"Because you have no weapon. And the Dealer said that the last few creatures that put on the mask nearly killed themselves. But the Dealer's friends are also hiding out in the forest. Not many stable guinea pigs out there. Just forest creatures. The Dealer wants someone with skills to handle it. Preferably hero-boy. But if you're friends with our dear Link, and can survive this world so far, I don't think Mr. Dealer will mind."

"Wait a sec!" Iwazaru pointed his finger at Samanta, "What the fuck happened to that bulbous armory and a half you were carrying back when we were going after Four-Eyes? You had enough guns and slugs to take down a Yakuza and then some!"

Samantha firmly argued, "That's reserved for emergencies only. I only have so much left and I'm saving what's left for the big battles."

Kaede protested, "You can't spare me one lousy handgun?"

"Sorry. I went through a lot on my last rescue mission. Gotta save what I got. And even if I did give you one, how long would you think you would last on one clip?"

Kaede brooded on the truth. Samantha affirmed her point. "This isn't our world. It's not modern and it's not like you or the others can go through bullets like tampons like the old days. I'm not a weapons dispenser! Shit has changed. And we gotta make do."

Kaede glared at the ground. Link sensed the tension making itself present once again.

"You're not the only one sucking it up, woman!" Samantha argued, "Garcie and the others have been toughing it out since the get-go! You can do it too! Just have a little faith!"

Kaede held in a breath. Link sensed the woman clinging on a shred of some virtue to keep herself from choking the fairy. But she was at wit's end. Like Ruto, she was on the verge of killing anything or anyone that dare stand in her way. The air around her was still with the gravity of too much pent-up frustration.

Kaede then argued, "You realize that if what you're saying is true about this thing..." She held up the mask. "...then you are turning me back into a smile."

"It's a risk we can take. It's not the first time you've handled these kinds of situations. Besides, if all else fails, blue-eyes here can just kick-- I mean turn you back to normal."

Kaede breathed another sigh but her bitterness and frustration leaked more by the minute. "Can I at least get something to hold this thing? I kinda don't have pockets."

Samantha shrugged. "Sure. I can do that." The maid held out her hand. A simple messenger back appeared in a shift of static. "It's not Prada, but I think it will suffice." Kaede took the sack and looped it over her shoulder. "Thanks."

Kaede stared at the bloodied mask and asked Samantha, "Did the Dealer mention anything specific about this thing? Anything I should know right now before I possibly endanger my life and the lives of others?"

Samnatha folded her arms and shrugged, "He said you should be able to take the mask on and off whenever you need to. But I would suggest avoiding prolongued use."

"Right." Kaede nearly growled. "I'm off then."

Samantha fliched and called out, "Wait!"

The group stopped. Samantha chastised herself, "Now, where are my manners?" The maid latched herself onto Link and shoved an arm into one of his carrier pouches. She pulled out a bottle and had it filled with red potion through the doctor in the television. The maid gave him the potion, along with another red-haired doll. "There we go!" Samantha then grabbed Link's head and planted her lips on his cheek. Link threw his hands out and nearly fell over until she let go.

Iwazaru cried out, "Sweet Harman, red! You're supposed to heal the hero not give him the rot!" Samantha chucked Kikazaru at the red-clad guardian. "Go! Now!"

Link, Kaede, and the Zarus shuffled out of the room and back into the Zora Sanctuary. Kaede leaned up against a rock with a hand still clenched on the demented smile mask. Mizaru stood next to her. Link quietly stood with his face still in shock. Iwazaru and Kikazaru stood close by.

Kaede apologized, "Sorry about that. The woman's not exactly in her right mind."

Link tried to wipe what lingered off his face. He remembered he still had a serum in his hand and put it away. He would let the Sages share the medicine with each other later. The doll went into the same bag as the serum. Samantha's kiss still left a strange sensation.

All that was left was to plan for the next for the next mission. Kaede gave him the advice the group expected, "Free the one in the desert first. He will be more help than the other one."

Iwazaru scoffed, "You say that now, woman! But that thief is no good! He's just a low-life! Why we even bother with him, much less the Hellion, is beyond me!"

Kaede subtley shot back at Iwazaru, "You do it because it's your job. Well...his job actually...But regardless of how big the pricks are, you still have to pick them off."

The assassin woman stared at the mask, then looked to Link. She continued this Mizaru hovered near Kaede, "What are your thoughts, Mistress?" Iwazaru teased, "What's wrong, Barefoot? The assignment giving you cold feet?"

Kaede spoke her mind, "Mizaru, I want you to go with them." Mizaru exclaimed, "What!" Kaede explained, "You would be more useful to go with them."

Mizaru argued, "But what about you?"

"I'll be fine."

"Aren't you worried about-"

"It will be okay. Samantha's right. Worst-case scenario, you guys will have to come and free me. If so, then you need to be with them just in case that happens. Not just for your own safety but also I can keep in contact with you. But you guys are in a rush enough as it is. You don't need to be held down by me. So..."

Kaede approached Link. "That's a very interesting little design there." Iwazaru squeaked, "Why, thank you." Kaede pointed her finger directly at Link's left eye. She spoke the words, "If evil does not flash its eye, then may you see no evil." A sigil flashed over the X in the form of a crosshair. The symbol faded from red to black. "Don't give her too much trouble." Kaede warned them, "Or you will have me to deal with."

Iwazaru chided, "What do you have to worry about? It's not like she can die!" Kaede countered, "Maybe not, but regardless, I'm very protective of my closest companions." Mizaru gave Kaede one more big hug. "Don't get hurt!" Kaede reassued her, "I'll be fine. I'll find the others as soon as I'm done."

Kaede finally summoned the strength and put the mask on her face. Her body burst into a thousand particles and reformed into the vengeful, smiling maiden. Her simple, scoped gun transformed into the rifle and knife Link and Ruto cringed to see. All the Sages held back a breath. Kaede's voice gave a hiss. "I suggest you get going. I can hear the smiles from here."

Link gave a nod and finally got moving. Iwazaru and Kikazaru shuffled to his side while Mizaru dragged behind long enough to watch her mistress, in her smiling form, fly across the sacred pond and into a nearby cave.

Kaede entered a damp, dank cave ridden with the stink of mildew and stagnet water. At least two inches of water covered the ground. Dripping water fell throughout the chambers. The churning and creeping of various life lingered on the walls. But the laughing echoed from deeper within.

The crawling and shocking sensation of the God Hand crept through Kaede's body. The strain of rage that bound her to the Smiling Sickness. But it was a disturbingly nostalgic feeling all on its own. She only chose to use the Mask for the sake of killing monsters. But as soon as she left this hellhole, she would pull off the second skin and dare not look at it for as long as possible.

Kaede cut through the first two chambers with ease. Bats and leech creatures stalked the areas. An occasional bone-fish flopped around on the ground. The chambers were abnormally spacious as if other things were supposed to be present. Every other minute, she spotted macrosmiles hovering about and shot them down. A few halls later, she reached the room where the demented laughing came from. She stopped for a moment upon noticing that, once again, things were not what they seemed. Infiltrating the cave seemed too easy. There was more to this mission than expected. But there was only one way out of this deal. Kaede opened the door when she was ready. And the door slammed behind her.

It was a small, dark room with remnants of dead things accumulated in the corners. Then it saw her--

**VRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRM!**

Kaede moved out of the way of the laser. Just ahead of her was a creature strapped to the wall. Off the top Kaede registered it to be a Laser Smile. To the side, another smile laughed menacingly. A legless, burly, armored, hovering creature. Behind the assassin came the clanky sound of what Kaede predicted to be a mythril smile. _What does a girl do in this situation?_ Kaede replied by dodging another laser beam. The beam hit the mythril smile and knocked it to the door while sending a few shots to the side of the Backside Smile. The smile turned around and exposed its glowing weakspot. Kaede dispatched it in one more shot. In one more split second, she busted the knee cap of the mythril smile and stabbed the laser smile in the abdomen. They both turned to dust. But only one produced a soul shell.

Kaede triumphantly strolled out of the cave. With soul shell in hand, she felt a nostalgic sense of confidence return to her. It was met with the edges of old fears, but the satisfaction of a killstreak pumped through her veins and pushed the ache of consequence to the side. It made her feel more optimistic about reuniting with her friends.

The pond was quiet now. The only life Kaede observed was the freakishly huge fish that barely moved. A very abnormal scene in her eyes, but not necessarily a threat. The rest was just water and tiny fish. A cricket here and there. A nearly normal scene that reminded her of her own world. Then a disturbance.

Figures. Strange, glowing figures appeared and waded around in the water. Lots of them. Swimming, wading, walking. Kaede aimed her gun at them. But they quietly stared at the assassin with blue, amphibian eyes. She tried to comprehend what they were. They apparently were not smiles, but they were different from remnant psyches. And so many of them. It was like some strange alien encounter-

**WOOOOOSH!**

**SHTOOK!**

A blade stuck into rock. A kunai, to be more specific. Kaede looked around and saw three ninjas appear. Red-eyed ninjas with knives and swords. And they darted past the crowd of pale apparitions and straight for her.

_Shit!_


	36. See Evil

**Chapter 34:**

**See Evil**

Lon Lon Ranch- 2 A.M.

Garcian and Zelda sat in her private tent at the Ranch compound. They were silent at the moment. Zelda insisted on it. They were going to wait on Naji. Zelda had something to say. Something urgent. It was in the air. Eversince he conversation with the forest kid, she had been distant with everyone. She gave out commands to her subordinates and let the orders trickle down the line, but kept to herself after that.

Garcian and Zelda both sat on cots with their hands together. Zelda still wore her Sheikah attire, rarely taking it off except to have it washed by her trusted maids. Garcian retreated out of the King's armor for the day while things were quiet. He wore his slacks with a belt and a shirt. He wore his watch out of habit, even though it was out of sync. It was one of the only ties he had of the assassin's world.

Naji finally entered the tent. "Alright...Let's talk."

Zelda inquired, "I need this place secure for our conversation."

Naji argued, "You do know the others could still possible hear if-

"I know. And I know some of my session with Kokiri child has already leaked out into the ranks. But I need some privacy and this cannot wait any longer. We will only draw more attention to ourselves if we try to talk outside of the camp."

Naji nodded and informed Garcian, "This is going to feel a bit strange."

"What is?"

Zelda put her hand on Garcian's shoulder. "Just take a deep breath."

Garcian's eyes shifted around the tent. He was nervous but did what he was told. _What's one more crazy twist to endure?_ He watched Naji hold his hands in the air utter some foreign mantra. A bunch of symbols glowed on the floor and spanned their scripts to just past the perimeter of the tent. The place became a blur for a moment and there was that creepy sensation of an out-of-body experience. But the feeling was familiar. It was the sensation when he stepped into his old master's Room or when he reached the entrance to the Viniculum Gate.

Garcian opened his eyes. The place was dark now. A distorted shadow of the regular world. He wasn't sure if he was even still close to the real world now, whatever that may be. But he knew that stepping out of the tent for a demonstration or definition would be a bad idea.

Naji spoke up, "So what is our situation?"

Zelda directed her voice at the Sheikah, "How much can I trust you?"

Naji paused, "You know my loyalties. Why ask such a question?"

Zelda sighed, "Link filled me in on a little secret regarding something he discovered on his way to Goron City. The body of a Sheikah soldier trapped in the cavern that connects the forest to the mountain. The Sheikah's ghost mentioned something happening during the brief occupation of the forest. He talked about blowing up the connecting tunnel."

Naji confirmed, "That's nothing new. We were there trying to fight back the Gorons. When the mission failed, the troops destroyed that route to keep anything escaping from the mountain."

"True. But that still doesn't explain the other routes. The ghost said that the soldiers also destroyed the tunnel connecting to Zora Domain. We never gave out that order. I surely do not recall allowing it."

"Nor do I." Naji retorted. "I admit, I was curious about that as well when I somehow stumbled across that fact in a conversation I heard. But I eventually assumed it was merely for the best because of the decaying condition of the northern territories."

"Also true. But then why was the main path to the forest also destroyed?"

Naji was silent again. "That I did not know."

Zelda went on, "Mido informed me that he knew of the presence of Sheikah in the woods. He was concerned, but far more worried about the Smile threat and chose to stay out of the way of Sheikah business. He had no clue the troops were from us. Back when the forest lost its battle with the enemy, Mido managed to convince the Kokiri that it would be in their best interests to leave the woods for a while. Not forever. But long enough for our soldiers to possibly do their business. He believed there was no use in trying to protect a giant dead tree when the rest of the forest was dying as well. And for a while, the other children followed his words. But an attack scattered the children and when Mido tried to reach the main bridge, he discovered it was destroyed. So, over two years later, when Link saves the forest and the Sheikah step back into the picture to learn more of his whereabouts, Mido snapped and called the out the Sheikah. Hence, the riot."

Naji folded his arms, "I can see where you are going with this."

Zelda returned to her point, "So then when I ask 'how much can I trust you?' I ask you in all your sincerity where your loyalties lie and expect the truth. Because if you want in on my thoughts and secrets, then I want to know yours."

Garcian sat and watched the two leaders brood upon the news. He was no stranger to conspiracy and political scandal. Such problems were his fall-back jobs for the longest time when he was not dealing with the Heaven Smile threat. This situation was no different.

Naji spoke, "You've always known my thoughts. I'm here to help my country help you."

Zelda reminded him, "There's a big difference between helping your country and helping your country hurt mine."

"I'm well aware of that. You know I'm here to help Hyrule. I might be loyal to my homeland but Hyrule's restoration is our mission."

"That may be for you. But it's all the more obvious now that there are other plans at work here."

Naji argued, "That's nothing new."

"No, but it's all the more evident now. The situation has gone on for too long. And it's only a matter of time before things will get worse."

"The Sheikah will deny it. They've remained silent this long. They'll say the same thing: The Kokiri chose to hide and the smiles destroyed the main entrance."

"It still doesn't explain why they could not extract the children safely. The main paths were destroyed but there are still other ways of entering and leaving the forest. And I know the others know."

"They will just keep blaming the smiles."

"Tell that to the Kokiri. How many Sheikah men do you think were surprised when they found out our forest friends were still alive?"

Naji lightly shrugged. "I don't know. I'm not one to pay attention to those kinds of things."

"It might be time to start, then. From now on, only your most trusted men are to go near the forest. The rest can focus on Lake Hylia once Link returns."

Naji prodded, "_If_ he returns."

Zelda rolled her eyes.

Naji diverted his attention to outside the tent. "They're catching on."

Zelda ordered, "Change us back. We have work to do."

Naji held his arms up, uttered another string of words, and closed his hands into fists. He bowed to Zelda. "We will discuss this in-depth later." He left the tent.

Garcian made himself present once again with the expected question. "What's the connection with Sheikah and the forest?"

Zelda assured him, "I'll explain later."

Garcian picked up on the urgent rumbling of footsteps approaching the tent. He followed Zelda out of the tent. Ando and his men stopped at Zelda's presence and saluted her,"Commander! We have urgent news! Our scouts spotted Heaven Smile acitivity a few leagues east of the Underground! Over a hundred of them and they're running right for us!"

Zelda commanded them, "Ready your men!"

Garcian instinctively followed Zelda and, before he knew it, he was strapping into his armor with a bunch of other men preparing for battle. He heard a kid call out his name and braced himself for-

**FWOOOOSH!**

Con poured into the area with Mask not too far behind him. "Garcie! Garcie, what's going on, man!" Con exclaimed. "There's talk of war and Heaven Smile!" The punk ran circles around Garcian. Mask spoke, "Everyone's gone loco about it!" Garcian filled them in on the situation. "We're going! There's no stopping it! We gotta do it! It's been too long!" Con was practically breakdancing in excitement now. Mask humbly stood before Garcian. Kevin appeared behind the leader, slipping a pair of sunglasses on the bridge of his nose and grinning a little. They were silent for a moment. Garcian gave a little smile. "Yeah. Why the hell not."

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!" Con cried out and darted off, yelling out, "WE'RE GOING TO WAR BITCHES!" Garcian, Mask, and Kevin stood there and eyed each other with anticipation and nostalgia that filled, no, returned to their souls by the minute. Mask commanded, "Vamanos!"

Mask and Kevin temporarily vanished from Garcian's field of vision to prepare themselves as well as their Hylian, Goron, Zora, and Sheikah comrades. They would be back soon. When Garcian was ready, he picked up his weapon and met with the other leaders. Zelda and Naji were about to mount a couple of horses. Barok bellowed orders to his Goron brothers while drinking something that looked flamable. "READY MY FISTS! WE SHALL MAKE THE ENEMY BLEED TODAY!"

Zelda, Ando, and Naji spoke to King Zora about the holding the fort. Barok was taking only a few handfuls of his best warriors. He still had a good chunk of his army divided between the ranch camp and the homeland security up on Death Mountain. The Zora schools that were not assisting in the upcoming battle stayed as well. Nearly half of the current Hylian and Sheikah armies respectively called to arms and shuffled into formation. The superiors dispatched them out into the field. The leaders and the assassins would be joining them in a mere matter of minutes.

The trip was a ride of at least a couple of hours. The en-route reports said the smiles were coming from the south eastern region of the field. Eventually, they were at the bottom of the hill and setting up their defenses to protect the main entrance of the underground. Ando and Naji sent a few smaller groups to defend the lesser passages and sanctuaries hidden under the field. Then they waited.

Garcian watched with Zelda, Naji, and Barok. Mask was a few yards away. But Kevin was possibly in his invisible state with a binch of the other ninja. There was that nostalgic anxiousness in the air. The aching and terrible wait for the enemy to appear out of the horizon because they knew they were there. Like Normandy or Troy. The fear seeped out of the soldiers and into the air en masse and wafted into the wind. The fear that sun rise was soon to come and many of these men might not be alive to see it.

Silence. Then the wind carried echoes. Echoes of laughter. Laughter and something else.

"LOOK!" Some of the soldiers cried out.

Garcian focused his eyes to the hilltop. He tuned his ears into that stray sound scratching among the laughter. A cry of sorts. Then he saw the figure of an immortal fourteen year old blind kid at least five feet in the air and dashing down the slope.

"SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTT!"

"Damnit Con!" Garcian cursed. Typical Con moment. He got so excited he ran for the enemy like it was Christmas. And since he was possibly the fastest kid in existence, he got there long before anyone else did. Before anyone could blink, Con was at the bottom of the hill with the rest of the crowd and slid to a halt. A moment later, the echoing laughter would catch up to them.

"Great Gods almighty!" Someone cried out. More gasps and curses errupted from the crowd as the first trickle of the smiles crested where Con once was. The malignant incarnates of the God Hand staggered and stumbled downward in all their ungodly forms.

"Sweet Hyrule!"

"Look at them!"

"WHAT ARE THOSE THINGS!"

"IT'S THEM! I SEE THEM NOW!"

Garcian was stunned at that moment. The extent of his revelation when Samantha bestowed him and Zelda those two emergency rations of chemicals had come full circle. The day before, Zelda had Professor Hoshi administer both the syndrome inhibitor and the eye drop solution when designated. The purifier went into any container of hydration used. But the eye drops were to be distributed more discriminant. Garcian told the Professor to only drop the eyes of soldiers who had not encountered the Heaven Smile or the smiling sickness before, which lead to a lot of people being examined. But the work was done.

There were two physical laws regarding to the behaviors of the God Hand and the God Killer. The first one, the most common to Garcian, so common he was prone to forget at times, was that anyone carrying the power of the God Killer had the ability to "see" the Heaven Smile. Garcian carried that ability through the Vision Ring his old master had crafted for him. He still had the ring too. When he and the other assassins shared one "body" they were also capable of seeing the smiles through Garcian's power. The second law was the practiced theory that whoever had the catastrophic misfortune of encountering the smiles and survived also carried the ability to see the Heaven Smile. This was very much disputed for the longest of time, simply because it was so hard to find survivors of any Heaven Smile-based attack. But the blessed few that did survive, carried the burden of the ability to the point of going insane.

At the beginning of the war, there were two types of warrior that defined the Heaven Smile conflict as well as the Resistance Army itself: those who had seen the Heaven Smile and lived to tell about it, and those who had not. The veterans of the Smiles were the minority of the Resistance, seeing as the God Hand managed to reduce Hyrule's population by half. The people in the latter category either had died from some form of the Smile, or had not seen them/it yet. They were either the youth of the nation, or Sheikah troops who had yet to see a real battle. But these facts did not matter now. Because they all saw the Heaven Smile now. _They all fucking saw._

"VOLLEY!" Zelda roared out, "AIM! FIRE!"

A shower of arrows squealed and crashed down into the scarred and scaly hides of the first wave, blasting them into a cloud of iridescent dust the wind blow at them like Lady Luck and the gods of war wafting the smell of victory and vengeance in their faces. They all saw the faces of their oppressors. And they watched them die. The Heaven Smile were by no means invincible. And they all knew now. And the scent of anger and ecstasy overtook the fear. And then there was nearly nothing stopping them.

Barok bellowed out, "CHAAAAAAAAAAARGE!"

"!"

The thundering footsteps and battlecries of hundreds of soldiers of all races and regions roared into motion, steadily growing louder and louder until the rumbling and roars blocked out the sound of the laughter. Hylians with swords and spears, Gorons rolling around with bombs, armor-encrusted Zora fighters ran with halberds in tow and shocks of electricity zipping around the metal. And Sheikah ninja-warriors leaping around or running in formations towards the menace. They all got a piece. And ahead of the pack was Con, who gained his second wind and ran wildly towards the enemy with a machete in hand. Legs stiff and plowing into turf. Arms in the air. Faces twisted with rage to counter the smiling gapes of the enemy.

The two massive opposing forces crash into each other. Working men under the guise of calls to arms hack, stab, slash, bludgeon, burn, destroy the enemy by any means their limbs and physics were capable of producing. Blades sliced into tainted flesh, clubs busted skull and bone. Smiling heads, arms, legs, torsos severed from the whole assembly. Dust scattered all around them like flower petals. Some smiles detonated and exploded, poking holes in the crowd, but the mass simply closed up and bit into the smiling front once more.

Gorons barrelled through the smiling ranks and dropped a bunch of bombs. The exlosives triggered massive chains of premature detonation. The smiles lost a chunk of their mass. More men scattered to erradicate the enemy off the face of the earth. Blood, dust, and limbs flew everywhere. The Sheikah sliced away at the deadly legion bit by bit on the peripheral of all the action. The Zora electrocuted the beasts into submission. The Hylians acted like the pissed off villagers they were. And all was good.

Garcian watched with the warm sense of satisfaction. It was a welcoming sense of truth that came from two truths. The first truth came from the fact that this was the first time the Smiths had fought together in a while. The Syndicate was not complete. But they were together enough to enjoy their trade once again. The second was that this was the first time the public knew who he was and what he did. Garcian was a killer. The Killer7 were killers. Assassins. And not only did they know who he was, who the Smiths were, and what they did, but they were doing it too. They all were God Killers now.

"Excuse me." Garcian got off his horse.

"You're going to join them?" Zelda inquired.

"Yep."

"But we can't let you go out there unprotected!"

"Don't worry. I'm a professional."

Garcian trotted off past the the groups and troops towards the front lines. He jogged towards the main action. Naji and a squad of his friends encircled him. "Zelda's orders. We come with you."

"Fine by me. Just stay out of the way of my friends."

Garcian unsheathed his sword when he and Naji's crew entered the thick of the fight. Before he knew it, his instincts guided his arms while his hands held his blade.

"HEHEHAHAHAHAHA!"

**HACK! HACK! SPLACK!**

The smile running for his side turned to dust. Two more slipped through the cracks.

**HACK! SPLACK! SPPLLING!**

Garcian and the guards eventually assimilated into the combat and moved through the carnal churnings of chaos and madness. More killing. Hacking. Slashing. Dust. Blood. Sweat. But more dust. A sense of claustrophobia enveloped him. He was not used to such close-quarters. But he fought through it by carving himself some more space. Then he heard something else. Something coming from above.

Garcian looked up and saw a whole flock of varying flying heaven smile. Screamer smiles, Broken Smile, Jet Smile, Macro Smile, and local flying fauna assimilated into murderous form. A Broken smile dove right for him a Sheikah jumped up from the crowd and stabbed it into oblivion.

"HEHAHAHAHAHA!"

Garcian spun around and was caught off guard by a backside smile. Then a large pair of arms wrapped around the smile's torso and flipped it onto the ground. Mask in all his luchadore glory nodded a panting head at his leader. Garcian nodded back with acceptance. Then an adolescent wind blew past them, plowing through the crowd like a skinny Goron. It cried out, "MASK! WINDMILL TIME!"

Con leapt up into Mask's arms. Mask grabbed the kid's body and swung him around. Con threw punches, edges, and anything capable of promising incapacitation. Another breeze blew past Garcian and tossed a knife into the airborn macro-smile swooping down like an eagle. Garcian thought it was a Sheikah until the glasses slid back into place. Kevin smiled and stabbed another smile in the throat. The bond of comradery strengthened exponentially as the Smiths kept to their large cluster, dealing death as they went along. Eventually, the tides turned on the battle and the Resistance gradually gained ground. All the other soldiers started moving around the whims of the Smiths. They revolved around them, following whatever moves they made and made sure the assassins had their path. Weaving, waving, swaying, paving. But everyone still got their change at revenge. And no smile was spared.

The sun had risen on a field showered with blood, ash, and dust. It was silent at first. Only the panting breath of tired man strolling around a field. Then laughter. More laughter. But not the laughter of the Heaven Smile. This was the laughter of hundreds of members of Resistance rejoicing in the warmth of victory. Hylians, Goron, Zora, Sheikah. They all laughed and roared in victory.

Zelda, the leaders, and the assassins finally made a return trek to the ranch compound after securing the Underground facility. The soldiers marched home with smiles on their faces. They lost over fifty men in the battle, but there were no more tears. Even the dead got their peace after that battle. Some of them carried the dead over their shoulders ro drug them through the dirt. Because regardless of casualty, everyone was coming home in some form or fashion.

Garcian silently rode on his horse next to Zelda, who was also warm with the spoils of victory but chose not to show much of it out of humility. Con strolled next to Garcian. Kevin and Mask were behind them. All four were silent. Smug. But silent.

The sun shined valiant on the ranch compound. The soldiers and civillians were joyous with their warriors' first real victory in ages. A bunch of nurses and medics flocked to the wounded while everyone else piled into the eating areas for breakfast and beer. They calls of victory reverberated off of every angle of the ranch. Not even the families of the departed hesitated in their celebration.

Garcian, Kevin, Con, and Mask sat quietly at a table all on their own. Their rarely said anything outside of congratulations and some humble cheers as people raised their drinks to toast. They stared at each other and smiled, quietly nodding their heads at all the memories of old. The moment reminded them of the great truth that whatever bought them together did not matter, nor did whatever catastrophe that separated them. They were together now, regardless of how much time had passed. And some things never changed.

The victory party was cut off for a moment with the sounds of battlehorns. The alarms. More smiles were coming. Immediately, the warriors grabbed their arms and shiffled back out into the open. Naji spotted the assassins in the crowd and went for them, "My men spotted Link, a Zora, and a couple of wounded Sheikah in the midst of the battle. The estimated count is about seventy against him and the others. The Zora and my men are going in to help dispatch them. But we've noticed some abnormal activity with the smiles in this group. What is the status of you and your friends?"

Garcian looked to his companions. They smiled and nodded. Garcian looked back to the Sheikah leader, "We're up for anything."

"Good. Ready your horses. We ride towards the River."

Garcian, Mask, and Kevin went to the stables and rounded up their mighty steeds. Con, as usual, chose to hoof it. Naji and a Zora by the name Sulu led their respective teams. The assassins clustered together for the most part. Con was still prone to get ahead of everyone. But they reached the eastern region before noon.

The first signs of the struggle came from the flock of flying, smiling creatures hovering around in the sky. The echoing, maddening laughter of the smiling threat echoed near the wooden regions. Scaly wolf creatures and other various monstrosities littered the area close to the dried bed of Zora River. Then there was a mass of them. In the center were Link, a Zora watching over two wounded ninja, and something else that helped Link defend the wounded. There was another strange pattern. Some smiles were walking into each other and detonating, triggering chain reaction. Eventually, there were barely twenty smiles in the batch, to which Naji sent his men to dispose of and then retrieve the allies.

Naji's men flipped and sprinted in all directions. Daggers, kunai, and fists flew. Laughter was silenced. And red dust flew everywhere.

The Sheikah recovered their wounded comrades while the assassins went for Link. Con pounced on Link, "What up, homeskillet! Did ja complete your mission! Huh! Hey, where's your lady-friend from the woods? HUH? HEY!" Mask pulled Con off of Link. "Los sientos, amigo. But we are all very happy for your return." Mask helped Link up to his feet. Garican was the first to ask, "How did things go?"

Link pointed to the river bed. It was empty at first. But then a small puddle flooded into the area. More and more water silently trickled into its old shell in the earth. The Zora soldiers, and Link's companion, all gathered in awe and watched as the stream grew bigger by the second, eventually taking the whole span of the bed. Con and Mask stood at the edge and marveled as the river came back to life.

"So it was a success?" Garcian inquired.

Link nodded.

"So....who did you--"

"Emir!" A malevolent voice called out.

Link and Garcian turned their attention to a strange woman with long, black hair that carried a rifle in one hand and a dagger in the other. The Sheikah automatically went after her. "What the hell?" Garcian wondered. Naji pointed, "She's one of them! Take her out!"

"Wait! Shit!" the woman hissed.

The ninja saw the woman's freakish, smiling face. And they went after her. She deflected attacks with her rifle and shot a few rounds. Link darted after them and stepped in front of her. He waved his hands and shook his head.

"I can't get this damn thing off!" the woman cursed as she tried to pull off her own face. Suddenly, a knife magically found its way into her third eye. She froze. Kevin showed himself once again, his hand being the one that guided the blade. The lady-smile shattered into a bunch of particles, shedding off of the body of its host, a young woman. Kevin caught her as she went ragdoll on him. The mask fell to the ground.

"Thanks, Kev." she sighed.

Kevin nodded, helping her back to her feet. She flopped to the ground again, grabbing the mask and putting it away. Kevin held her up.

"Kaede!" the other assassins called out and ran to her. Garcian signaled the Sheikah to back away. The assassins circled their newly reunited mate.

"Kaede, are you alright?"

"For the most part..." she panted a little, "...yeah, sure."

Garcian asked her, "Do you need anything?"

"Hydration...and some shoes!"


End file.
